Goddess Traditions in India: Theological Poems and Philosophical Tales in the Tripurārahasya 9781032232867, 9780367277031, 9780429297380

Table of contents :
Cover
Half Title
Series Page
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Table of Contents
List of Abbreviations
Acknowledgments
Introduction
The Text
Mythical Origin and Transmission of the Text
The Textual Sources of the Tripurārahasya
Period of Composition and Place of Origin of the Tripurārahasya
Editions and Translations of the Tripurārahasya 71
Notes
Part I: Myths and Rituals
Chapter 1: The Tripurārahasya and the Śrı̄vidyā Tradition
Dı̄kṣā
Mantra
Pañcadaśākṣarı̄
Ṣoḍaśākṣarı̄
Pūjā
Notes
Chapter 2: The Iconic Form of the Goddess
Notes
Chapter 3: Tripurā as Kāmākṣı̄ and Lalitā
Tripurā and Kāma: Kāmākṣı̄
Tripurā as Lalitā
Notes
Chapter 4: The Island of Jewels and the Śrı̄cakra
The Origin of the Island of Jewels
The Island of Jewels
The Śrı̄cakra
Notes
Part II: Philosophical and Theological Teachings
Chapter 1: Tripurā as Immanent and Transcendent Divine Consciousness
Tripurā as Ultimate Reality
The Goddess and the World
Notes
Chapter 2: The Reformulation of the Svātantryavāda and Ābhāsavāda 548
Notes
Chapter 3: The Goddess as Word-Energy
The Levels of the Word
The Sonorous Body of the Goddess
The Sixfold Pathway
Notes
Chapter 4: The Path towards Jı̄vanmukti
First Teachings
The Ever-Present Self
Samādhi
The Jı̄vanmukta
The Secret Doctrine of Tripurā
Conclusion
Notes
Part III: Synopsis of the Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya : With an Annotated Translation of the Stotras and of Selected Passages
Descent of the Scripture ( Śāstrāvatāra)
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Presentation of the Spiritual Teachers
Story of Paraśurāma
Chapter 3
The Sage Saṃvarta
Chapter 4
Dattātreya and His Teaching
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Tripurā as Mother of the Worlds
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
The Goddesses as Forms of Tripurā
The Threefold Kumārı̄
Chapter 10
Lakṣmı̄ and the Deeds of her Son Kāma
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapters 16–17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Kāma and Tripurā
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Gaurı̄
Chapter 26 (continuation)
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Marriage of Pārvatı̄ and Śiva
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Origin of the Cult of the Śivaliṅga
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Kāma and Tripurā/Kāmākṣı̄
Chapter 36
Birth of Skanda
Chapter 37
Bhāratı̄
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Kātyātanı̄
Chapter 41
Caṇḍikā
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Kālı̄
Chapter 44
Durgā
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Lalitāmāhātmya
Rebirth of Kāma
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Birth and First Deeds of Bhaṇḍa
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Maṇidvı̄pa and Śrı̄cakra
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Antecedents of the Fight between Bhaṇḍa and Lalitā
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
The Battle
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Lalitā Triumphant
Chapter 78
Conclusion
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Notes
Bibliography
Works of Reference (Dictionaries, etc.)
Primary Sources (Texts, Editions and Translations)
Secondary Sources
Index of the Translated Passages and  Stotras
General Index

Citation preview

Goddess Traditions in India

This book on the Tripurārahasya, a South Indian Sanskrit work which occupies a unique place in the Śākta literature, is a study of the Śrı̄vidyā and Śākta traditions in the context of South Indian intellectual history in the late middle ages. Associated with the religious tradition known as Śrı̄vidyā and devoted to the cult of the Goddess Tripurā, the text was probably composed between the 13th and the 16th century CE. The analysis of its narrative parts addresses questions about the relationships between Tantric and Purāṇic goddesses. The discussion of its philosophical and theological teachings tackles problems related to the relationships between Sākta and Śaiva traditions. The stylistic devices adopted by the author(s) of the work deal uniquely with doctrinal and ritual elements of the Śrı̄vidyā through the medium of a literary and poetic language. This stylistic peculiarity distinguishes the Tripurārahasya from many other Tantric texts, characterized by a more technical language. The book is intended for researchers in the field of Asian Studies, Indology, Philosophical, Theological or Religious Studies, Hindu Studies, Tantric Studies and South Asian Religion and Philosophy, in particular those interested in Śākta and Śaiva philosophic-religious traditions. Silvia Schwarz Linder holds a PhD in South Asian Studies from the Institute of South Asian, Tibetan and Buddhist Studies, Vienna University, Austria. She is currently a Research Associate at the Institute for Indology and Central Asian Studies, Leipzig University, Germany and Research Fellow at the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies, UK. Her interests focus on the Tantric religious traditions of the Śrı̄vidyā and the Pāñcarātra.

Routledge Hindu Studies Series Series Editor: Gavin Flood Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies

The Routledge Hindu Studies Series, in association with the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies, intends the publication of constructive Hindu theological, philosophical and ethical projects aimed at bringing Hindu traditions into dialogue with contemporary trends in scholarship and contemporary society. The series invites original, high-quality, research-level work on religion, culture and society of Hindus living in India and abroad. Proposals for annotated translations of important primary sources and studies in the history of the Hindu religious traditions will also be considered. THE GODDESS AND THE SUN IN INDIAN MYTH Power, Preservation and Mirrored Māhātmyas in the Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa Raj Balkaran INDIAN PERSPECTIVES ON CONSCIOUSNESS, LANGUAGE AND SELF The School of Recognition on Linguistics and Philosophy of Mind Marco Ferrante ˉ TRA – A TRANSLATION VAIŚEṢIKASU Ionut Moise and Ganesh U. Thite POLITICS AND RELIGION IN EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY INDIA Jaisingh II and the Rise of Public Theology in Gaudı ̄ya Vaiṣṇavism Sachi Patel HINDU-CHRISTIAN DUAL BELONGING Daniel Soars and Nadya Pohran GODDESS TRADITIONS IN INDIA Theological Poems and Philosophical Tales in the Tripurārahasya Silvia Schwarz Linder For more information about this series, please visit: https://www.routledge. com/asianstudies/series/RHSS

Goddess Traditions in India Theological Poems and Philosophical Tales in the Tripurārahasya Silvia Schwarz Linder

First published 2022 by Routledge 4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN and by Routledge 605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2022 Silvia Schwarz Linder The right of Silvia Schwarz Linder to be identified as author of this work has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Schwarz Linder, Silvia, author. Title: Goddess traditions in India : theological poems and philosophical tales in the Tripurārahasya / Silvia Schwarz Linder. Description: 1. | New York : Routledge, 2022. | Series: Routledge Hindu studies series | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2021050038 (print) | LCCN 2021050039 (ebook) | ISBN 9780367277031 (hardback) | ISBN 9781032232867 (paperback) ISBN 9780429297380 (ebook) | Subjects: LCSH: Tripurārahasya--Criticism, interpretation, etc. | Tripurasundarı̄ (Hindu deity)--Cult. | Tantrism--Early works to 1800. | Tripurasundarı̄ (Hindu deity)--Prayers and devotions-Translations into English. Classification: LCC BL1225.T732 S34 2022 (print) | LCC BL1225.T732 (ebook) | DDC 294.5/2114--dc23/ eng/20211117 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021050038 LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021050039 ISBN: 978-0-367-27703-1 (hbk) ISBN: 978-1-032-23286-7 (pbk) ISBN: 978-0-429-29738-0 (ebk) DOI: 10.4324/9780429297380 Typeset in Baskerville by SPi Technologies India Pvt Ltd (Straive)

To the ever living memory of my mother, Vera

Contents

List of Abbreviations ix Acknowledgments xi Introduction1 PART I

Myths and Rituals

15

1 The Tripurārahasya and the Śrı̄vidyā Tradition

17

2

42

The Iconic Form of the Goddess

3 Tripurā as Kāmākṣı ̄ and Lalitā 4

The Island of Jewels and the Śrı̄cakra

53 69

PART II

Philosophical and Theological Teachings

99

1 Tripurā as Immanent and Transcendent Divine Consciousness

101

2

The Reformulation of the Svātantryavāda and Ābhāsavāda

115

3

The Goddess as Word-Energy

134

4

The Path towards J ı v̄ anmukti

149

viii Contents PART III

Synopsis of the Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya: With an Annotated Translation of the Stotras and of Selected Passages 179 Descent of the Scripture (Śāstrāvatāra) 180 Presentation of the Spiritual Teachers  183 Story of Paraśurāma 183 The Sage Saṃ varta 184 Dattātreya and His Teaching  185 Tripurā as Mother of the Worlds  187 The Goddesses as Forms of Tripurā 194 The Threefold Kumārı ̄ 194 Lakṣmı ̄ and the Deeds of her Son Kāma 197 Kāma and Tripurā 202 Gaurı̄ 206 Marriage of Pār vatı̄ and Śiva 209 Origin of the Cult of the Śivaliṅga 213 Kāma and Tripurā/Kāmākṣı ̄ 214 Birth of Skanda  215 Bhāratı̄ 216 Kātyātyanı̄ 220 Caṇḍikā 220 Kāl ı̄ 222 Durgā 224 Lalitāmāhātmya 226 Rebirth of Kāma 226 Birth and First Deeds of Bhaṇḍa 228 Maṇidvı̄pa and Śrı̄cakra 233 Antecedents of the Fight between Bhaṇḍa and Lalitā 242 The Battle  246 Lalitā Triumphant  253 Conclusion 254 Bibliography 286 Index of the Translated Passages and Stotras 296 General Index 299

Abbreviations

AS BāPur BhG BhPur BVPur DBhPur DM HV ̄ IPK JaT KāPur KaT KKV LPur LSN LT LTS LU MāPur MBh MPur MUṬ NṢA NU PH PKS PS PST PTLV PTV RĀ RY ŚD

Ahirbudhnyasaṃ hita ̄ Brahma ̄ṇḍapura ̄ṇa Bhagavadgı ̄ta ̄ Bha ̄gavatapura ̄ṇa Brahmavaivartapura ̄ṇa Devı ̄bha ̄gavatapura ̄ṇa Devı ̄ma ̄ha ̄tmya Harivaṃ śa I s̄ v́ arapratyabhijña ̄ka ̄rika ̄ Jña ̄na ̄rṇavatantra Ka ̄lika ̄pura ̄ṇa Kula ̄rṇavatantra Ka ̄makala ̄vila ̄sa Liṅgapura ̄ṇa Lalita ̄sahasrana ̄ma Lakṣmı ̄tantra Lalita ̄triśatı ̄stotra Lalitopakhya ̄na Ma ̄rkaṇḍeyapura ̄ṇa Maha ̄bha ̄rata Matsyapura ̄ṇa Mokṣopa ̄yaṭı ̄ka ̄ Nitya ̄ṣoḍaśı ̄ka ̄rṇava Nityotsava Pratyabhijña ̄hṛdaya Paraśura ̄makalpasūtra Parama ̄rthasa ̄ra Prapañcasa ̄ratantra

Parātrı ̄sí kālaghuvṛtti Para ̄trı ̄śika ̄vivaraṇa Ra ̄ma ̄yaṇa Rudraya ̄mala ́ Sivadṛ ṣtị

x Abbreviations

SK SL SP ŚPur ŚS ŚSV SU TĀ TĀ r TR, jk TR, mk TRT TTU VāPur VBT VR YH YV

Spandaka ̄rika ̄ Saundaryalaharı ̄ Somaśambhupaddhati ́ Sivapura ̄ṇa Sivasū t ra ̣ ́ asūtravimarśinı ̄ Sw Saṃ nya ̄sa Upaniṣad Tantra ̄loka Taittirı ̄ya Āraṇyaka Tripura ̄rahasya, Jña ̄nakhaṇḍa Tripura ̄rahasya, Ma ̄ha ̄tmyakhaṇḍa Tantrara ̄jatantra Tripura ̄ta ̄pinı ̄ Upaniṣad Va ̄manapura ̄ṇa Vijña ̄nabhairavatantra Varivasya ̄rahasya Yoginı ̄hṛdaya Yogava ̄siṣtḥ a

Acknowledgments

This book is the outcome of a research project submitted to the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies (OCHS) in 2016. First and foremost, I would like to offer my heartfelt thanks to Gavin Flood and Bjarne Wernicke Olesen, directors of the Śākta Traditions Research Programme at the OCHS, for giving me the opportunity to join this research programme and to take advantage of the stimulating and fruitful exchanges of ideas that resulted from several symposia, seminars and lectures organized by the OCHS. I am very grateful to all the colleagues and friends of the OCHS, who provided me with the intellectual and material support that enabled me to pursue my research during sojourns in Oxford over the last few years, and particularly in the Michaelmas Term 2017, when I was awarded the J.P. and Beena Khaitan Visiting Fellowship. I would like to express my thanks to the scholars with whom I corresponded during the process of writing this book and who shared useful information or made valuable suggestions, namely: Gudrun Bühnemann, Sanjukta Gupta, Shaman Hatley, and Alberto Pelissero, as well as Mario Piantelli who first drew my attention to the Tripurārahasya long ago. Thanks also to Michel Hulin and Alexis Sanderson, who, when I first became interested in the Tripurārahasya, provided me with preliminary information on the texts of the Tripurā tradition. I would like to include a special note of thanks to Gerhard Oberhammer, my Doktorvater, for the generosity with which he shared with me over the years his scholarly knowledge and wisdom. My grateful thoughts go also to André Padoux, whose work has been for me a constant source of inspiration. I am indebted to Jenny Condie for the sympathetic care with which she read my manuscript, and for all her suggestions concerning stylistic improvements. I am also very grateful to my colleague and friend Fabrizia Baldissera, who kindly volunteered to read the final version of my manuscript and made useful criticism and suggestions. It goes without saying that any shortcomings in this work are to be attributed exclusively to me.

xii Acknowledgments I am grateful to my father who, with his enthusiasm and intellectual inquisitiveness, was the first to make me discover the wonder that is India. Particular gratitude is due as always to Dennis, Vera and Erich, whose love and affection has allowed me serenely to devote so much time and energy to the exploration of aspects of the unfathomable Goddess Tripurā.

Special thanks to Ettore and Camilla who kept me company and expressed their approval by wagging their tails.

Introduction

The Text This monographic study is devoted to the Tripurārahasya (TR) (“The Secret [Doctrine] of [the Goddess] Tripurā”), a Sanskrit work of South Indian origin, probably composed between the 13th and the 16th century CE, if not later,1 and associated with the Tantric Śākta religious tradition of Tripurā, later known as Śrı̄vidyā. This living tradition, which “became the most widely established of India Śākta cults,”2 belongs – according to A. Sanderson’s classification3 – to the Kulamārga, i.e. the aggregate of Śākta traditions which developed from the early 9th to the 12th century CE, inheriting the transgressive ritual practices of the Kāpālika ascetics.4 The Kulamārga is divided into four currents, and it was from one of these, the Dakṣiṇāmnāya (“Southern transmission”), centred on the cult of Kāmeśvarı̄, Kāmadeva and the Nityā (“eternal”) goddesses,5 that the cult of Tripurā/Tripurasundarı̄ originated, its principal authoritative scriptures being the Kashmirian Nityāṣoḍaś ı ̄kārṇava (NṢA) and Yoginı ̄hṛdaya (YH), both composed in the 11th century CE.6 The Tripurā tradition spread and flourished in South India where – like the NṢA and the YH – it was permeated ́ by the ideas of the Kashmirian Saiva non-dualism of the Pratyabhijñā and the Spanda schools, both of which shaped its philosophical and soteriological teachings. This influence was exerted through the medium of the South ́ nanda (1225– Indian commentators of the Kashmirian works, such as Sivā 7 1275), his contemporary Vidyānanda, and Amṛtānanda (1325–1375). In its later, syncretistic development, the cult of Tripurā/Tripurasundarı̄ was incorporated into the cult of Lalitā/Kāmākṣı ̄ in Kāñcı̄puram, as prescribed in the Paraśurāmakalpasūtra (PKS), a ritual handbook composed between the 15th and the 16th century CE.8 In South India the Tripurā tradition ́ vidyā after the mantra of the Goddess – was adopted – known also as Srı̄ ́ karācharyas of Kāñcı̄ and Sṛ́ ng and propagated also by the Saṅ ̇ eri, who superimposed their illusionistic Advaita Vedānta on the dynamic, realistic ́ idealism of the Kashmirian Saiva non-dualism that originally characterized this tradition.

DOI: 10.4324/9780429297380-1

2 Introduction The TR occupies a unique place in the corpus of Śākta texts because it seems to have left no trace, in terms of references or quotations, in the related literature. The isolated nature of the TR contrasts with its diffusion and popularity, as testified by the diverse geographical provenance (Varanasi, Bengal, Mysore) and general agreement of the manuscripts in which it has been transmitted, as well as by the number of its translations into several local Indian languages.9 As stated in the text, the TR was originally composed of 12,000 verses and divided into three sections (khaṇḍa).10 The first of these, the māhātmyakhaṇḍa (mk) (“Section of the Majesty [of the Goddess]”), is constituted of 6,687 verses and divided into eighty chapters (adhyāya). This section contains a mythical narrative in Purāṇic style, devoted to Tripurā and the goddesses who are regarded as her particular manifestations; the final part of it, entitled Lalitāmāhātmya (LM),11 relates the deeds of the principal among these, Lalitā, in her fight against the demon Bhaṇḍa. The second section, the jñānakhaṇdạ (jk) (“Section of the Knowledge”), is made up of 2,163 verses divided into twenty-two chapters. This section deals with speculative issues, which are discussed by different characters who illustrate their philosophical teachings by means of tales, that are structured using the framing device typical of classical narrative literature. The third section, the caryākhaṇdạ (ck) (“Section of the Right Conduct”), which would have comprised the remaining c. 3,000 verses, has apparently been lost. The alleged existence of a caryākhaṇḍa presents some problems. At the end of the second chapter of the mk, soon after the verses mentioning the three khaṇḍas, the text reads: remembering [the task of] the composition of the text, the twice born (the author, Sumedha Hāritāyana) began [with the words] o namaḥ kāraṇan ̄ anda, [and] after having gradually composed the work, in the end he concluded [with the words] sā bhavet tripuraiva hrı ̄m. [90–91b]12 In fact, the opening words of the mk (TR, mk, 1, 1a) and the final words of the jk (TR, jk, 22, 112d) are the very same as those quoted in this verse. This might be an indication that the work comprising the mk and the jk was considered to be complete. Conversely, the colophon at the end of the last chapter of the jk reads: “This is the twenty-second chapter of the jñānakhaṇḍa of the tripurārahasya, the best of the venerable itihāsas, a text (saṃ hitā) consisting of 12,000 [verses].”13 If this is indeed the case, then given that the two extant sections do not add up to a total of 12,000 verses, it follows that the work must have originally included a third section. However, there is no such mention of the work’s length in the final colophon of the mk, which reads: This is the eightieth chapter – a description of the main prescription for worship – of the māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the tripurārahasya, the best of the venerable itihāsas. Let it be offered to the mother Tripurā. This māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the tripurārahasya is concluded.14

Introduction  3 Given these discrepancies, two hypotheses may be offered. If the assertions about the existence of three khaṇḍas amounting to 12,000 verses referred to the original state of the text, it may be posited that a ck once existed and has subsequently been lost. Alternatively, if the mention of the first and last words of the two extant sections indicated that the TR consisted of the mk and jk only, it may reasonably be concluded that a ck never existed. But if this were so, what might have been the reason for mentioning it? One possibility is that a later redactor mentioned a third section of the work for the sake of completeness. Indeed, just as in the case of those Tantric texts endowed with a section entitled caryā, so also in the TR a ck would have provided prescriptions about the appropriate behaviour of the devotee, his religious observances and the method of worship of Tripurā. These ritual matters, which are crucial in most Tantric texts, are dealt with only briefly in the last chapter of the mk, so it is possible that a later redactor might have meant to fill this lacuna by postulating the existence of a section of the work wholly devoted to these topics. It is difficult to solve this problem simply on the basis of the statements quoted from the text. However, certain considerations suggest that the work may in fact be complete as it stands. As the present study will show, notwithstanding its affiliation with the Tantric tradition of Tripurā, the TR is an atypical work. The very presence of a mk is unusual for a Tantric text, and the mythic, narrative character of the whole work even more so. Moreover, the soteriology of the TR does not emphasize the importance of ritual, a subject which receives only scant attention and is relegated to the final chapter of the mk. The issue of a lost or absent ck thus adds to the peculiarities of the TR and amplifies its isolated position within the textual sources of the Tripurā tradition. As regards its literary form, the TR is composed as a dialogue; but, unlike the majority of the Śākta and Śaiva Tantric texts in which the interlocutors are Śiva and the Goddess, here the dialogists are two human characters, the seer Nārada and Sumedha Hāritāyana, the alleged author of the work. Their conversation encircles the dialogue between Dattātreya and Paraśurāma, which in turn encompasses a series of subdialogues and sub-stories, in accordance with the literary framing device mentioned above.

Mythical Origin and Transmission of the Text The traditional story of the origin and transmission of the text – the so-called “descent of the scripture” (śāstrāvatāra) – is briefly related by Nārada to Sumedha Hāritāyana at the beginning of the mk. Claiming that the teachings contained in the TR have a divine origin, Nārada recounts that Brahmā once said that these teachings were first revealed to Sadāsí va by Śiva and, successively, to Rudra, Viṣṇu and Brahmā himself; Dattātreya then taught the secret doctrine of the Goddess Tripurā to Paraśurāma who in turn explained it to Sumedha Hāritāyana.15 This propagation through a line which begins with the gods, continues with the semi-divine Dattātreya

4 Introduction and Paraśurāma – both regarded as forms (mūrti) or parts (aṃ s ́a)16 of Viṣnu ̣ – and ends with the human teacher Sumedha, is in compliance with the transmission of a tradition through a “succession of divine, perfect and human teachers”, called divyasiddhamānavakrama by Amṛtānanda.17 The text provides little information about its alleged author, Sumedha Hāritāyana, whose name means “intelligent, wise.”18 He is presented as a disciple of Paraśurāma, who initiates him to the worship of the Goddess Tripurā, according to the method of the Śrı̄vidyā.19 From the account given by Brahmā of Sumedha’s previous life, one learns that, before being born as the son of Harita, he had been Alarka, the son of a brāhman called Sumantu; as a child, Alarka had acquired merits which, in his rebirth as Sumedha, rendered him worthy of being initiated to the secret doctrine of Tripurā and, thereby, qualified to write the TR.20 Given his relationships with such mythical characters as Paraśurāma and Nārada, it is hardly possible to consider Sumedha a historical figure, so the true authorship of the work remains undetermined.21 The latest in the line of the spiritual teachers who handed down the teachings of the TR is held to be Paraśurāma. The story of Paraśurāma – who is traditionally regarded as an avatāra of Viṣnu ̣ – and of his heroic deeds, is dealt with extensively in the Epic and Purānic literature.22 The circumstances of his birth, his slaughter of the kṣatriyas and his challenge to Rāma, are briefly recorded in Chapter 3 of the mk and resumed in Chapter 2 of the jk.23 But the TR is not so much concerned with Paraśurāma’s martial virtues, as with his place among the authoritative figures of the Tripurā tradition.24 Accordingly, the frame story of the TR focuses on Paraśurāma’s spiritual quest. After the completion of his deeds, he roams around, tormented by remorse for having killed so many innocent women and children in his massacre of the kṣatriyas; in his wanderings he encounters a strange man who, when questioned as to his identity, gives an answer which Paraśurāma cannot understand. The man – who introduces himself as Saṃvarta, son of Aṅgiras and pupil of Dattātreya – suggests that Paraśurāma pay a visit to Dattātreya and take instruction from him. Paraśurāma then meets Dattātreya, who consents to lecture him and begins his teaching with the celebration of the majesty of Tripurā, because – he says – true knowledge can be granted only by the Goddess’s grace, which may be obtained through the devotion arising from hearing her glorification. These facts are related at the beginning of the mk.25 The frame story is resumed at the beginning of the jk, and Paraśurāma, after hearing the celebration of the majesty of Tripurā (i.e. the mk) from Dattātreya, and having learned from his guru the method of the ritual worship of the Goddess, sets off for the mount Mahendra, where he dwells for twelve years, devoting himself entirely to the cult of Tripurā. During this period, he recalls the mysterious teaching of Saṃvarta, which he had not been able to grasp, and resolves to go back to Dattātreya to be enlightened about its meaning. The content of the jk is thus regarded as the explanation given by Dattātreya of Saṃvarta’s original teaching.26

Introduction  5 Saṃvarta is depicted in the text as an ascetic devoid of marks indicating his class (varṇa) and stage of life (ās ́rama) and behaving like a madman.27 Dattātreya is presented as king of the yogins28 and lord of the avadhūtas29; moreover, in their first encounter, he shows himself to Paraśurāma in the act of embracing a young woman, with a jar of liquor in front of him, yet bearing the marks of an ascetic.30 In his study on the Saṃ nyāsa Upaniṣads (SU), P. Olivelle reports that the avadhūta (“one who has shaken off [his fetters]”) is a type of saṃ nyāsin mentioned in the Nāradaparivrājaka Upaniṣad (NpU).31 The avadhūtas belong to the highest class of renouncers: they are deemed to attain liberation while still alive32 and, as jı ̄vanmuktas, they are beyond the obligations and prohibitions of the order of classes and stages of life.33 Their freedom from the rules of brāhmanic society is emphasized by their antinomian behaviour.34 Additional testimony of this behaviour is found in the NpU, in a passage in which Saṃvarta and Dattātreya are mentioned as being among those ascetics who act as if they were insane.35 It is therefore possible that in his/their portrayal of Saṃvarta and Dattātreya, the author(s) of the TR was/were also inspired by the SU. As far as Dattātreya is concerned, the description of his appearance at his first encounter with Paraśurāma in the TR suggests that, besides his qualification of lord of the avadhūtas, his appearance is that of a Tantric sādhaka, devoted to ritual practices involving sexual intercourse and the consumption of intoxicating drinks. These same features also occur in the First Section of the Mārkaṇḍeyapurāṇa (MāPur),36 where Dattātreya is presented as accompanied by his wife (sapatnı ̄ka), drinking liquor, yet absorbed in meditation.37 In an episode in which he appears as an ascetic occupied in improper practices, the gods themselves recognize his high spiritual status.38 Moreover, Dattātreya himself claims that he should be propitiated with offerings of meat and strong drinks.39 Such traits are comparable to Dattātreya’s demeanour in the TR, where Paraśurāma salutes him as his spiritual teacher, and is unperturbed by his odd aspect and conduct.40 It is therefore possible that the author(s) of the TR was/were aware of Dattātreya’s portrayal in the MāPur. In support of this hypothesis is an episode related in MāPur, 37–43, in which Dattātreya teaches the doctrine of yoga to King Alarka; in fact, Alarka is the name of the young brāhman of whom the alleged author of the TR, Sumedha Hāritāyana, is said to be a reincarnation.41 The characteristic features of Saṃvarta and Dattātreya might suggest that there was an intention on the part of the author(s) of the work to acknowledge the roots of the tradition of Tripurā without rejecting its transgressive aspects, namely the beliefs and practices of the ascetics affiliated with the early sects of the Kāpālikas; these ascetics were devoted to the cult of female deities (yoginı ̄), whose worship involved ritual sexual intercourse, consumption of meat and intoxicating drinks and non-vegetarian offerings. In the YH, a seminal work of this tradition, such transgressive practices were already symbolically reinterpreted and, from the 15th–16th centuries CE

6 Introduction onwards, in the later texts of the Tripurā tradition, these extreme Tantric elements disappeared. According to Padoux: “The anti-tantric puritanical ́ vidyā, so contrary to the original forms of the southern brand of the Srı̄ spirit of the system, are I believe, not attested before Laṣmı̄dhara’s time (15th–16th c.).”42 The implicit endorsement of transgressive Tantric practices which emerges from the śāstrāvatāra – where the origin of the teachings transmitted in the text is mythically retraced – may provide a first clue to contextualizing the TR within the Tripurā tradition and to suggesting a possible period of composition. The reference to the Kāpālika roots of the tradition is in accordance with “the original spirit of the system”; this is also demonstrated – as will be shown in this study – by the fact that the philosophical teachings of the TR share the tenets of the Śaiva non-dualism upheld by the early Kashmirian scriptures, in opposition to the Śaṅkarian Advaita Vedānta which influences some later South Indian developments of the Srı̄vidyā. This return to the roots of the Tripurā tradition may indicate not so much the antiquity of the TR, but rather the wish of its author(s) to distance himself/themselves from the puritanical attitude and the philosophical views predominant among the orthodox Smārta devotees of Tripurasundarı̄. Considering these elements, the TR may be assigned its place in the history of Śāktism in pre-modern South India.

The Textual Sources of the Tripurārahasya A survey of the main textual sources directly or indirectly referred to in the TR may help establish the relative date of composition of the work. As already mentioned, and as will be detailed in Part II of this study, the philosophical and theological teachings of the TR reveal, in their terminology and in the ideas expressed therein, the influence of the Kashmirian Śaiva non-dualism of the Pratyabhijñā. This influence is also acknowledged by Śrı̄nivāsabhaṭtạ – the author of the sole extant commentary (Tātparyadı ̄pikā, 1832) on the jk of the TR – who illustrates the views set forth in the text with quotations from the works of the authors of this school, namely Vasugupta (c. 800–850 CE), Somānanda (c. 875/900– 925/950 CE), Utpaladeva (c. 900/925–950/975 CE),43 Abhinavagupta (c. 975–1025 CE) and Kṣemarāja (c. 1000–1050 CE). Among the sources to which the portion of the mk entitled Lalitāmāhātmya (LM) is indebted, the Lalitopākhyāna (LU) of the Brāhmānḍ ạ purānạ (BāPur) is certainly prominent. The LU is an appendix to the BāPur, comprising Chapters 5–44 in the fourth part (Upasaṃ hārapāda) and third section (Uttarabhāga) of the work.44 Like the LM of the TR, the LU narrates the fight between Lalitā and the demon Bhaṇdạ and equates Lalitā with the goddess Kāmākṣı ̄ of Kāñcı̄puram. The LU was probably composed in Kāncı̄ in the early 13th century CE.45 Sanderson argues that the LU originally ended with the Lalitāsahasranāma (LSN) (“[Hymn of] the thousand names of [the goddess] Lalitā”) and the Lalitātriśatı ̄stotra (LTS) (“Hymn of the

Introduction  7 three hundred [names] of [the goddess] Lalitā”), even if these two stotras do not appear in the published text of the BāPur.46 Epithets taken from these two stotras also occur in certain hymns in praise of Tripurā found in the mk of the TR. Such information helps to contextualize the LU, to which reference will frequently be made in Part I of this study. Where the Śrı̄cakra is concerned, both the LM of the TR and the LU are based on the description of the śrıcakrapū ̄ jā given in the YH. Several chapters of the first part of the mk deal with myths related to the principal goddesses of the Hindu pantheon, i.e. Pārvatı̄, Sarasvatı̄, Kālı̄, Durgā etc.; the purpose of retelling such myths is to show that these goddesses are all manifestations of the supreme Tripurā.47 Retracing their respective Purāṇic sources would have no relevance for the present study, the aim of which is not to account for the entire content of the TR, but to focus instead on the specific themes concerning the affiliation of the TR with the Tripurā tradition. Besides the impact of the textual sources associated in different ways with this tradition, it is possible to detect some general affinities between the TR and the Yogavasiṣṭha (YV).48 The literature concerning the YV is so vast that it would be far beyond the limits of this study to deal with the historical-philological problems connected with the transmission of this text. The scholars involved in the Mokṣopāya Project, beginning with W. Slaje and J. Hanneder, argue, in the material published so far, that the YV constitutes a later version, reworked by Avdaita Vedāntic redactors, of an earlier Kashmirian recension of the work known as Mokṣopāya (MU), composed in the 10th century CE. It is difficult to ascertain whether the author(s) of the TR might have had access to this ur-form of the text, or rather to its later version represented by the YV, a work of pan-Indian popularity and influence. The similarities between the TR and the MU/ YV – which will be examined in Part II of this study, especially with regard to the soteriology of the TR49 – are therefore to be considered simply as preliminary suggestions. Some general parallels between the TR and the MU/YV may usefully be drawn from the outset. Firstly, the literary genre of both works is difficult to classify. The TR defines itself as itihāsaṃ tantrasāram,50 i.e. “the essence of the Tantras” as well as “a traditional, legendary account of former events” (itihāsa), the latter being a designation which usually applies to the Epic and Purāṇic literature; moreover, the work is said to contain “various, wonderful stories and tales.”51 These formulations point immediately to the peculiar character of the TR: although affiliated with a Tantric tradition, its literary form is atypical if compared with the texts of the related literature, especially on account of the considerable space devoted to the mythical narratives in the mk, and to the philosophical tales in the jk. The MU describes itself in terms of epic narrative, śāstra (“authoritative treatise”), and kāvya (“poetical composition”); in fact, as Hanneder noted, it provides “a peculiar mixture of Śāstric, narrative and poetic (kāvya) elements, somehow fused and legitimated by the author’s didactic methods.”52 Therefore, despite their

8 Introduction different intellectual backgrounds and philosophical teachings, both the TR and the MU blend the same diverse literary genres. Furthermore, the authors of both TR and MU deal with doctrinal issues through the medium of a literary and poetic language. As will be shown,53 the narratives interspersed and embedded in the text constitute in both cases an integral part of the didactic and soteriological method adopted by the authors of these works. As for the TR, while the mythical and epic narratives of the mk, enriched by stotras and prose passages of high literary quality, aim at eliciting the devotion of the listener, the jk conveys its doctrinal teachings by means of philosophical stories and allegorical tales.54 In the MU, among the narratives which “are called vṛttānta, itihāsa, ākhyāna, ākhyāyikā, or kathā,”55 there are accounts of Purāṇic style, allegorical tales, but mostly stories with original, peculiar features. As in the TR, so also in the MU many stories are accounts of liberation, providing “‘examples’ for the doctrine as well as for the ‘way to liberation’”;56 in fact, their salvific teachings are conveyed and illustrated by characters who are themselves examples of how to follow the path towards emancipation and achieve liberation in this life. Another trait that the TR and the MU/YV have in common concerns the syncretistic and inclusivist approach by which their authors deal with the sources and the ideas that inspired them. As far as the TR is concerned, besides the texts of the Pratyabhijñā mentioned above, the author(s) of the work drew from other scriptures, such as the Spandakārikā (SK) and the Vijñānabhairavatantra (VBT),57 as well as from some South Indian Pāñcarātra saṃ hitās such as the Ahirbudhnyasaṃ hitā (AS) and the Lakṣmı ̄tantra (LT).58 The original contribution of the author(s) of the TR was to reformulate and re-elaborate the elements derived from these different sources, incorporating them into his/their own worldview; this was not always successful, however, as the inconsistencies discoverable in the text show. As far as the MU is concerned, Hanneder emphasizes the inclusivist approach of the work by providing several instances of textual references to the SK, the VBT and the Tantrāloka (TĀ) by Abhinavagupta, as well as examples of the occurrence in the YV of the Śaiva technical term and concept of mala (impurity, maculation). While these instances testify to the fact that the authors of the MU/YV were aware of and receptive to the intellectual background of the Kashmirian Śaiva non-dualism, nevertheless, as Hanneder remarks, the main doctrines of the MU, such as the denial of the reality of the world, the absence of the concept of divine grace and of any form of ritual worship, are incompatible with non-dualistic Śaivism.59 The discussion of these themes will show60 that, whereas syncretism and inclusiveness characterize both the TR and the MU, their incorporation of elements stemming from Śaiva non-dualism led to different outcomes. In the TR the main tenets of the Pratyabhijñā and its realistic idealism are maintained, and wherever ideas expressing the illusionistic outlook derived from the MU are detectable in the text, they are to be regarded as inconsistencies that can be explained by the gradual way in which the

Introduction  9 doctrinal teachings of the work are expounded. Conversely, the Śaiva elements to be found in the text of the MU appear as discrepant with the philosophy of the work which, though not systematically and coherently expounded, is generally marked by a radical illusionism and acosmism.

Period of Composition and Place of Origin of the Tripurārahasya On the basis of the evidence provided by the probable sources referred to in the śāstrāvatāra, and by the authorial and anonymous texts which influenced or inspired the author(s) of the TR, it is obvious that this work springs from an ancient and rich cultural background. It is difficult to establish a precise date for its composition, but the evaluation of the textual correspondences, comparable formulations and similar teachings between the TR and its textual sources, may help indicate a relative chronology. Accordingly, the latest terminus a quo seems to be the 13th century CE, the date of the LU of the BāPur. It is more difficult to establish a terminus ante quem, given the isolated position of this work within the Śākta literature, apart from the commentary on the jk by Śrı̄nivāsabhaṭtạ (1832), which is very late. Sanderson connects the TR with the syncretistic cult of Lalitā/ Kāmākṣı ̄ of Kāñcı̄puram, prescribed in the PKS, and, more specifically, with the modified form of this cult in which Parā is replaced by Bālā Tripurasundarı̄.61 He writes: All the literature of this cult is steeped in the tradition of the Kashmirian Śākta-Śaiva non-dualists, and the commentaries frequently cite their works. How long before its eighteenth- and nineteenthcentury exegesis this syncretistic variant of the cult of Tripurasundarı̄ came into existence is uncertain. He does, however, mention a possible reference to this cult in a work of the 16th century.62 One can therefore provisionally conclude that the TR must have been composed in a period between the 13th and the 16th century CE.63 As regards the work’s place of origin, the text itself provides indications that the TR was composed in South India. In the mk it is stated that Sumedha Hāritāyana went to Hālāsya (Madurai) to worship the Goddess in the Mı̄nākṣı ̄ temple,64 and afterwards composed the whole work in that city.65 Further evidence for a Southern origin is provided by the setting of the frame story, the hermitage of Paraśurāma, situated in the Malaya mountains (in the Malabar country).66 Moreover, at the beginning of the jk, Paraśurāma withdraws to the mount Mahendra (in the Eastern Ghats),67 where he establishes his abode. The North Indian provenance of the teachings handed down in the TR is also suggested by an indication given in both mk and jk. The hermitage of Dattātreya is located on mount Gandhamādana,68 a place said to be inhabited by gods, apsaras and yakṣa s,69 like the mythical mountain described in the

10 Introduction Epic and Purāṇic texts, whose geographical location is controversial; even so it is stated that, in his journey to the hermitage of Dattātreya, Paraśurāma proceeds in a northerly direction.70 Hence the Gandhamādana mentioned in the TR may be identified with the mountain located, in several points of the MBh, in the Himālayan region. This reference to a Northern, mythical place of origin of the teachings transmitted in the text enhances the links of the TR with the early stages of the Tripurā tradition and with its Kashmirian scriptural sources.

Editions and Translations of the Tripurārahasya71 The mk of the TR was published in Benares in 1932, as Nr. 92 of The Kashi Sanskrit Series, edited by Mukunda Lāla Śāstri, with an introduction and a summary of the contents of each chapter by Nārāyaṇa Śāstri Khiste.72 An English version of the mk of the TR, translated by T. B. Lakshmana Rao and edited by E. K. Das, was published in Bengaluru in 2011. Gopı̄nāth Kavirāj mentions a printed edition of the jk of the TR – belonging to his personal collection – published in Belgaum (Mysore) in 1894.73 G. Kavirāj edited the text of the jk which was first published, with his introduction, in Benares from 1925 to 1933, as Nr. 15 of the series Prince of Wales Sarasvati Bhavana Texts, in four parts. A second edition was published in Varanasi in 1965, as Nr. 15 of the series Sarasvatı̄ Bhavana Granthamālā. Whereas the first edition was based on a single manuscript (Nr. 51353), belonging to the Government Sanskrit Library of Benares, for the second edition G. Kavirāj used additional materials, namely the Belgaum edition of 1894, the Sarasvatı̄ Bhavana manuscript Nr. 63388 and the Sarasvatı̄ Bhavana manuscript Nr. 24960.74 This second edition is enriched by the commentary Tātparyadı ̄pikā, composed in 1832 by Śrı̄nivāsabhaṭtạ , the son of Vaidyānātha Dı̄kṣita, of the village Mahāpuṣkara, a grāma of Madurai.75 Ramanananda Saraswathi (Munagala S. Venkataramayah) was the author of the first English translation of the jk of the TR, which first appeared in parts in the Bangalore Mythic Society’s Journal (Quarterly) from January 1938 to April 1940;76 it was published as a book entitled Tripura Rahasya or The Mystery beyond the Trinity in 1959 in Tiruvannamalai (Sri Ramanasramam), and later reprinted. This English version of the text was translated into German by Erich Wilzbach, and published in Interlaken in 1986 with the title: Die geheime Botschaft der Goettin Tripura (Tripura Rahasya)/Der Weg der Befreiung nach den Weisheitslehren des Advaita-Vedanta. An English version by A. U. Vasavada – published in Varanasi in 1965, as Vol. L of the series The Chowkhamba Sanskrit Studies – was based on the Marathi translation from the Sanskrit text by B. B. Joshi. The volume includes a comparative study of the process of individuation according to Indian and Jungian ways, which was the subject of Vasavada’s dissertation for his diploma at the C. G. Jung Institute of Zurich. A French translation, with introduction and notes, by Michel Hulin, was published in Paris in 1979 with the title: Tripurārahasya (Jñānakhaṇḍa)/La

Introduction  11 Doctrine Secrète de la Déesse Tripurā (Section de la Connaissance). An Italian translation, with introduction and notes, by Alberto Pelissero, was published in Turin in 1995 with the title: Il segreto della Dea Tripurā/Sezione sulla gnosi. No scholarly study has hitherto been devoted to the TR.

Notes 1 For details about the period of composition and place of origin of the TR, see below. 2 Sanderson 2009: 47. On the ongoing viability of the Śrı̄vidyā, see Padoux’s remarks in Padoux (ed.) 1994: 31 and notes 23, 25. 3 For a detailed survey of the texts and traditions of the Kulamārga, see Sanderson 2012–2013: 57ff. 4 See Ibidem: 6, 57 and note 220. 5 Sanderson mentions two extant sources related to this early Śākta tradition of the Nityās cult: the Nityākaula (which has come down to us in a single incomplete Nepalese manuscript), in which Tripurā is surrounded by eleven Nityās and Kāmadeva; the Manthānabhairava, which prescribes the cult of Tripurā with her consort Kāmadeva and nine Nityās (see Sanderson 2009: 47–48 and notes 14, 15). 6 For detailed information on the NṢA and YH, see Padoux (ed.) 1994: 23ff. 7 For the dates of Śivānanda, see Sanderson 2007: 416 and Sanderson 2012– 2013: 72. 8 For the date of composition of the PKS, see Weber 2010: 1. 9 See Hulin (ed.) 1979: 9, 12. 10 See TR, mk, 2, 83c–84: sahasrāṇam ̄ ̣ dvādaśakaṃ khaṇḍe tritayam eva ca || 83cd || ādyo māhātmyakhaṇḍaḥ syāt jñānakhaṇḍas tathā paraḥ | caryākhaṇḍas tṛtı ̄yaḥ syād evam etad bhaviṣyati || 84 ||. 11 See TR, mk, 79, 1ab: … sŕ ılalitā ̄ devyā māhātmyam … 12 TR, mk, 2, 90–91b: smṛtvā granthasya karaṇam upacakrāma sa dvijaḥ | o namaḥ kāraṇan̄ andety ārabhya kramaśaḥ kṛtam || 90 || samāptim akarod ante sā bhavet tripuraiva hrım̄ | 91ab. 13 TR, jk, 22, colophon: iti s ́rı ̄maditihāsottame tripurārahasye dvādaśasāhasryāṃ saṃhitāyāṃ jñānakhaṇḍe dvāviṃ s ́o’dhyāyaḥ. 14 TR, mk, 80, colophon: iti śrı ̄maditihāsottame tripurārahasye māhātmyakhaṇḍe upāsakamukhyadharmanirūpaṇam as ı́ ̄titamo’dhyāyaḥ | 6687 | tripurāmbārpitam astu | o tat sat || samāptam idam tripurārahasye māhātmyakhaṇḍam |. 15 See Synopsis, Chapter 2. 16 See Synopsis, Chapter 1, notes 837, 838. The term aṃ śa, which recurs in the mk in many places, is rendered as “part, portion, share”, and also “aspect”, in this study, according to the relevant context. It should be borne in mind that aṃ śa conveys “not so much the idea of fragmentation, but of participation, hence of kindred nature, of affinity.” [“Idée non pas de fragmentation, mais de participation, et donc de parenté de nature, d’affinité” (TAK I 2000: 73)]. 17 See Padoux (ed.) 1994: 101, note 36. 18 See TR, mk, 2, 3c: nāmnā sumedhā vidvāṃ s tvam. 19 See Synopsis, Chapter 1. 20 See Synopsis, Chapter 2. 21 On the problem of the authorship of the TR, see also Hulin (ed.) 1979: 12–13. 22 See particularly Brahmāṇḍapurāṇa (BāPur), Section III Upodghātapāda, Chapters 21–47, which contain “the most extensive of all its (Paraśurāma’s legend) epic and purāṇic versions” (Rocher 1986: 157). 23 See Synopsis, Chapter 3. See also TR, jk, 2, 1–8.

12 Introduction 24 In this regard, one may recall that the authorship of the PKS is traditionally ascribed to Paraśurāma. The relative chronology between the PKS and the TR is still to be ascertained. This problem is discussed, yet not solved, by Weber in her study on the PKS (see Weber 2010: 55–56). 25 See Synopsis, Chapters 4–6. 26 See TR, jk, 1, 10b–67 and 2, 1–30b. 27 The appearance of Saṃvarta is described in TR, mk, 4, 13c–16, quoted and translated in Synopsis, Chapter 4. 28 Yogirāja in TR, mk, 5, 70b. 29 See TR, mk, 5, 79: “There, sitting on a seat [facing] the South-east quarter, the lord of the community of the avadhūtas, surrounded and revered by eminent yogins who were the repositories of excellent virtues. [79]” tatrāsınam ̄ āsanāgneyāvadhūtakulanāyakam | upāsitaṃ yogimukhyair avadātaguṇas̄ ́ayaiḥ || 79 ||. See also TR, mk, 49, 1d, where Dattātreya is addressed as avadhūtakuleśvara. 30 The appearance of Dattātreya is described in TR, mk, 6, 1–10, quoted and translated in Synopsis, Chapter 6. 31 See Olivelle (ed.) 1992: 197. The NpU is dated to around 1150 CE [see Sprockhoff 1976, quoted by Olivelle in Ibidem: 9] and, like other later SU, it was composed of collections of passages taken from earlier sources (see Ibidem: 18). 32 See Ibidem: 100, 201. 33 See Ibidem: 211. 34 On the meaning of the antinomian behaviour of the renouncers, see Olivelle’s remarks in Ibidem: 108–112. 35 See Ibidem: 184. This passage of the NpU is probably based on a passage (quoted in Ibidem: 145–146) from the Jābāla Upaniṣad (JU), which belongs to the older group of the SU, composed, according to Sprockhoff, in the last few centuries BCE [see Olivelle (ed.) 1992: 8–9]. 36 According to F. Eden Pargiter, the author of an annotated English translation of the MāPur dated 1904, this purānạ may be considered to be composed of three Sections: the First (Chapters 1–44) constitutes a later addition to the original corpus of the work; the Second (Chapters 45–81 and 93–136) represents the original purānạ ; the Devı ̄māhātmya (DM, Chapters 82–92), forming a section in itself, is to be considered its latest layer [see Pargiter (ed.) 1981: IV–VIII]. Pargiter indicates Western India as the place of origin of the first two sections (see Ibidem: X). As regards the period of composition, he argues that the Second Section was in existence as early as the 3rd century CE (see Ibidem: XX). According to a recent study by Y. Yokochi, the DM was composed in the second half of the 8th century CE (see Yokochi 2004: 21ff). Hence the First Section may be assigned to a period ranging between the 3rd and the 8th century CE. 37 See MāPur, 17, 24c–25 and Eng. trans. in Pargiter (ed.) 1981: 100–101. 38 See MāPur, 18, 20, 28ab, 29, 38c–39 and Eng. trans. in Ibidem: 102–104. 39 See MāPur, 19, 4–10 and Eng. trans. in Ibidem: 106–107. 40 See Synopsis, Chapter 6. 41 See Synopsis, Chapter 2. 42 Padoux (ed.) 1994: 8. Laṣmı̄dhara (Orissa, early 16th century CE) is an exponent of the Smārta Tantric tradition called Samayamata, which complied with the Brāhmanical orthodoxy and orthopraxy; he is the author of a commentary on the Saundaryalaharı ̄ (SL), a poem devoted to the eulogy of the Goddess, traditionally ascribed to Śaṅkarācārya (see Sanderson 2012–2013: 82–83 and note 334). 43 For the dates of Somānanda and Utpaladeva, see Torella 2013: XII and XX. 44 According to Tagare, the author of the English translation of the BāPur, the LU was probably added to the BāPur to give a Śākta character to this purāṇa. The fact that it is a later addition is evidenced by the presence of a new

Introduction  13













invocation and a new set of interlocutors, Agastya and Hayagrı̄va; however the Lalitā episode follows the number sequence of the adhyāyas of the Upasaṃ hāra, thereby testifying to the intention that this episode be considered an integral part of the purāṇa [see Tagare (ed.) 1983: viii]. 45 Khanna remarks: “The LU has not been dated but it must be assigned to a period before Śivānanda (c. 1225–1275) and after Manojadeva (c. 1175–1225), according to Alexis Sanderson”, and she adds: “According to Sanderson, the LU was composed in Kāñcı̄ to legitimize the Kāmākṣı ̄ cult as controlled from beyond the authority of the Śaiva priesthood by the Śaṅkarācāryas of that city.” (Khanna 1986: 72–73 and note 77). 46 See Sanderson 2017: 3–4 and notes 3, 4. 47 See Synopsis, Chapters 26–46. 48 As Goudriaan has already remarked: “The Tripurārahasya seems to stand isolated within the literature of Śākta Tantrism but might be compared with the in literary respect far superior ‘philosophical epic’ Yogavāsiṣtḥ a.” (Goudriaan, Gupta 1981: 168). 49 See Part II, Chapter 4. 50 TR, mk, 1, 91a. 51 TR, mk, 3, 6a: nānākhyānakathācitraṃ | 6a. 52 Hanneder 2006: 69. 53 See Part II, Chapter 4. 54 These are referred to variously as: “story” (kathā in TR, jk, 3, 11d and in Ibidem, 22, 1a), “a story occurred in the past” (vṛttaṃ purātanam in Ibidem, 5, 30d; purā vṛttam in Ibidem, 20, 1b), “a great marvel occurred in the past” (purāvṛttaṃ mahādbhutam in Ibidem, 12, 11b), “a wonderful story” (ākhyānam atyadbhutam in Ibidem, 15, 1b), “an old, excellent story” (prāgvṛttam atis ́obhanam in Ibidem, 15, 28b). 55 Hanneder 2006: 71; for the textual evidence of the use of these terms, see Ibidem, notes 10–14. 56 Ibidem: 72. For these remarks on the MU, see Ibidem: 71–73. 57 See Part II, Chapter 4. The SK is dated to the second half of the 9th century CE (see Sanderson 2007: 426). 58 See Part II, Chapter 3. Both AS and LT postdate Kṣemarāja (1000–1050 CE) (see Sanderson 2001: 35–38 and Sanderson 2009: 70). 59 For these remarks and the references to the Śaiva sources, see Hanneder 2006: 136–144. 60 See Part II, particularly Chapters 2 and 4. 61 As will be shown in this study, the figure of Bālā has an important role in the mk of the TR. 62 Sanderson 2012–2013: 78, see also notes 313, 314. 63 It is worth mentioning the dates indicated by other scholars: Hulin places the work between the 11th and the 17th century CE [see Hulin (ed.) 1979: 12–13]; Padoux considers the TR “de date incertaine (mais sans doute tardif)” [see Padoux (ed.) 1994: 30]; Weber suggests that the TR may be later than the PKS, which is dated between the 15th and the 16th century CE [see Weber (ed.) 2010: 55–56]. 64 See TR, mk, 1, 96: “[He] went to the city of Hālasya where the fish–eyed ́ (Mı̄nākṣı)̄ Supreme Mother, dear to Sundareśvara (Siva) shines visibly (or: appears in person). [96]” jagāma hālasyapure yatra śrı ̄mı ̄nalocanā | parāmbā rājate sākṣat̄ sundareśvaravallabhā || 96 ||. 65 See Synopsis, Chapters 1–2. 66 See TR, mk, 1, 5ab, 11cd: “In the Southern region is the very lofty mount Malaya. [5ab] … [there is] a valley [where,] on a rising [ground], in a great forest, [is] a hermitage. [11cd]” asti dakṣiṇadigbhāge malayādrir mahocchrayaḥ |

14 Introduction







5ab … vistı ̄rṇavanakhaṇḍan̄ tarāsŕ amodyadupatyakaḥ || 11cd. For the location of the Malaya mountains see MW 1976: 792c. 67 See TR, jk, 1, 22d–23: bhārgavas tadā || 22d || śrı ̄nāthenābhyanujñātas tripurāsādhanodyataḥ | parikramya guru natvā mahendrādrim upāyayau || 23 ||. For the location of the mount Mahendra, see Balfour 1967 vol. II: 779b. 68 See TR, mk, 5, 59: evaṃ s ́obhām avekṣan sa prāptavān antikaṃ gireḥ | gandhamādanasaṃ jñasya gı ̄rvāṇav̄ asates tadā || 59 ||; see also TR, jk, 1, 55: gandhamādanaśailendraṃ prāpya śı ̄ghram apaśyata | guruṃ padmāsanāsı ̄naṃ bhūbhāsvantam iva sthitam || 55 ||. Gandhamādana (“intoxicating with fragr_ ance”) is the name “of a mountain forming the division between Ilāvṛita and Bhadrāsv́ a, to the East of Meru, renowned for its fragrant forests” (MW 1976: 345b). “In Hindu cosmogony, is one of the four boundary mountains enclosing the central region of the world, called Ilavritta, in which Meru, the golden mountain of the gods, is situated. The Puranas are rather at variance as to its position. …” (Balfour 1967 vol. I: 1168a). 69 See Synopsis, Chapter 5. 70 See TR, mk, 5, 1: “Then [he who was] born in the family of Bhṛgu set off, turned towards the Northern quarter, eager to reach quickly the hermitage of Dattātreya. [1]” athottarās ́ābhimukho jagāma bhṛguvaṃ śajaḥ | dattātreyās ́ramaṃ gantuṃ satvaro jātasaṃ bhramaḥ || 1 ||. 71 Full references of the works mentioned below are given in the Bibliography. 72 In this study the transliterations of the Sanskrit text, and the translations of the stotras and selected passages from the mk, are based on this edition. 73 See Kavirāj (ed.) 1965, Prefatory Note (First Edition), p. 2, footnote. 74 See Ibidem. In this study the transliterations of the Sanskrit text, and the translations of selected passages from the jk, are based on this edition. 75 See Ibidem, Introduction, p. 3. See Ibidem. 76 See Venkataramayah (ed.) 1980, Foreword by Sadhu Arunacala, p. iii.

Part I

Myths and Rituals

1 The Tripurārahasya and the Śrı̄vidyā Tradition

The TR’s affiliation with the Śrı̄vidyā tradition is detectable in its phi­ losophical teachings, which are clearly indebted to the Kashmirian Śaiva non-dualism of the Pratyabhijñā. Part II of this study will be devoted to the analysis of these teachings, as they are expounded in some passages of the mk, but above all in the jk. Part I focuses on the mk, drawing attention to the Tantric ritual elements embedded in its mythical narrative and highlighting the multifaceted theological identity of the supreme Goddess Tripurā. In the mk there are three main pieces of evidence testifying to an affiliation with the Śrı̄vidyā: the description of the initiation ceremony (dı ̄kṣa)̄ , the revelation of the mantra of the Goddess, and the instruction as to the method of her worship (pūjā). The cursory way in which these elements are dealt with in the text is inversely proportional to their importance and relevance for the Śrı̄vidyā as a Tantric tradition. The reason for such summary treatment of these topics in the mk might be explained by the existence of a now lost section of the work – the ck – which was dedicated to a detailed discussion of ritual matters. If, on the contrary, a ck never existed,77 the brevity and imprecision of the treatment of ritual matters might instead be considered as congruous with the general character of the TR and with its hybrid literary genre, in which Tantric and Purāṇic elements are blended in an original way. This peculiarity of the TR accords with the phenomenon, evident in medieval India, whereby – as remarked by Sanderson – the Tantric and Purāṇic domains tend to merge, due to the tendency of the Tantrics to permeate the field of popular religion and of the non-Tantric devotional traditions to expand into domains beyond their own.78

Dı k̄ ṣa ̄ At the beginning of the mk, Paraśurāma imparts the initiation to his disciple Sumedha Hāritāyana. The word dı ̄kṣa ̄ does not occur in the text, but the description corresponds to this rite; moreover, in the Contents of each chapter found in the printed edition of the TR (mk), N. K. Khiste DOI: 10.4324/9780429297380-3

18  Myths and Rituals refers to Sumedha with the expression labdhadı ̄kṣa. The ceremony is described as follows: Now [Paraśu] Rāma summoned [Sumedha] calling him ‘my dear child’ with a sweet voice [and] offered flowers with opened and hollowed hands [to the Goddess] seated on the top of a splendid, golden throne, she who is called Bālā, Tripurā, Lalitā, Śrı̄kumārikā. [42c–43] After having worshipped [her] throne with all its paraphernalia by means of various rich items, he gave to [his] disciple that which is her form made of word (i.e. her mantra). [44] [Once he had] whispered [the mantra], he made [the disciple] bathe with the waters of a consecrated pot in the proper way, he cut off the threefold bond, then he made [him] settle for the night. [45] He made [him] learn the [Goddess’s] form adorned with a threefold support [made of] the twelve, the fourth and the fourteen [elements which are] at the beginning, middle and end [respectively], [46] and also her form consisting of three parts, [namely] the righteous rules of conduct (caryā), the method of [ritual] practice (ācāra) beginning with the mudrās, and, according to order, the entire secret (rahasya) [doctrine of the Goddess]. [47] He gradually taught [him how] to assign the [divine] favour to the places of the head, the heart and the mūlādhāracakra (i.e. the bottom of the spine) [and how] to offer the oblation of the three tattvas in the fire of one’s own self. [48] After having thus taught and communicated that discipline (sādhana) and prescribed rites, then [he said]: ‘O child conquer without delay this supreme brahman, [49] thus I will soon grant you an accomplished rank.’ Once he had obtained the whole secret, Hāritāyana, after having circumambulated [Paraśurāma] three times and bowed to him, quickly reached Śrı̄sá ila. [50–51b]79 The ceremony begins with the worship of the Goddess installed on her throne (vv. 43, 44cd), but the text does not specify whether it is an external rite performed on a cult image, or an internal worship mentally performed by the guru. The Goddess is called Tripurā, Bālā, Lalitā. The young girl (Śrı k̄ umārikā) Bālā is a form of Tripurasundarı̄ who, in the mk, plays both the role of goddess associated with the Word, granting eloquence and knowledge,80 and that of warrior goddess in the battle opposing Lalitā and Bhaṇḍa.81 Lalitā is regarded as a part of Tripurā,82 her fullest manifestation,83 hence the highest of Tripurā’s forms.84 Some of the main rites pertaining to Tantric initiation are then mentioned: 1) The communication of the mantra, whispered by the guru into the ear of the disciple (vv. 44ab, 45a). Mastering a mantra is generally deemed to enable the adept to acquire extraordinary powers (siddhi), or, as is probable in this case, to perform the ritual worship of the Goddess.

 ̄ The Tripurārahasya and the S ŕ ıvidyā Tradition  19 2) The cutting of the three bonds (v. 45c) aims at releasing the disciple from the fetters that keep his soul in a state of bondage. In non-dualist ́ Saivism the three bonds (paśatraya) are: innate/fundamental impurity (ānạ vamala), which is the ignorance common to all limited individual souls (aṇu); the bond due to past actions (karman); and the bond caused by the magic power of illusion of the deity (māyā). Release from these bonds fulfils one of the main purifying functions of a salvific dı ̄kṣa.̄ 85 3) The placing of divine favour on the head, heart etc. (v. 48ab) seems to refer to the nyāsa, i.e. the ritual imposition of the mantra on the various body parts of the disciple, which is thus impregnated with the power of the mantra and, thereby, transformed and divinized. 4) The oblation of the three tattvas in the fire of one’s own self (v. 48cd) probably refers to a complex ritual, the performance of which varies according to the different Tantric traditions. The three tattvas (tattvatraya 86), mentioned in several early Tantric sources, are considered to be constituents of the cosmos, as well as parts of the human body conceived as a microcosm; these are not, as Brunner notes, three single entities out of the thirty-six tattvas, but are to be understood rather as clusters of entities whose aggregate encompasses the entire universe.87 They are the basis of the types of initiation involving their purification (tattvaśuddhi 88), such as the tattvadı ̄kṣa ̄ and the tritattvadı ̄kṣa,̄ 89 which are all forms of the nirvāṇadı ̄kṣa,̄ 90 the liberating, salvific initiation which consists in clearing each level of the cosmos of all karman that the candidate could ever experience, by magically consuming it. The text of the TR seems to allude to the general pattern of the nirvāṇadı ̄kṣa ̄ and, in so doing, it represents the purification of the three tattvas – i.e. the cosmos and the candidate’s body – as the result of a Vedic-like sacrifice, in which the tattvas are offered and burnt as an oblation in the fire of Consciousness, with which one’s own self is to be identified. As regards the teachings disclosed to the disciple at the time of his initiation, after the communication of the mantra of the Goddess, which is her phonic form, one may expect the revelation of her yantra, the Śrı̄cakra, which is her visual, aniconic, diagrammatic form, and the essential support for meditation and ritual worship, in the use of which the disciple must be instructed. In fact, the form of the Goddess adorned with a threefold support (v. 46ab) may indicate the Śrı c̄ akra, insofar as this can be conceived as consisting of three main constituent parts. In the YH, this tripartition applies to both the visual structure and the symbolic function of the cakra. In terms of structure, the first portion comprises the central triangle and the figure formed by the eight intersecting triangles; the second consists of the figures formed by the two sets of ten intersecting triangles and that formed by the fourteen intersecting triangles; the third includes the lotuses with eight and sixteen petals and the threefold square enclosure. Symbolically, as a whole, the Śrı̄cakra can be regarded as the pulsating model of the

20  Myths and Rituals cosmos, which reproduces and actualizes, from its centre to its outer enclosures, the process of emanation of the universe by the divine energy, and, from its outer enclosures to its centre, the process of cosmic reabsorption. When the Śrı̄cakra is conceived as divided into three parts, in the outer part the aspect of emanation, in the middle part the maintenance, and in the central part the reabsorption are predominant respectively.91 While the first half of verse 46 may be said to allude to the threefold structure of the Śrı̄cakra, the second half is problematic: what is the significance of the twelve, the fourth and the fourteen, at the beginning, middle and end? The fourth may refer to Tripurā herself, so-called because she represents the fourth principle which subsumes and is beyond all triads,92 and who is to be visualized in the middle, i.e. at the centre of the Śrı̄cakra. The fourteen may represent the figure formed by the fourteen triangles, but why is it said to be at the end? The meaning of the twelve is more difficult to ascertain. Hence, unfortunately, the text remains obscure. Finally, the teaching is summarized in its entirety (v. 47) and is itself named rūpa because it represents a form taken by the Goddess to reveal herself to her devotees. It consists of the rules of conduct governing the righteous social behaviour and the religious observances of the initiate (caryā), the method of ritual practice (ācāra),93 and the secret doctrine (rahasya) related to the knowledge granting liberation. Caryā and ācāra generally constitute the core of the so-called samayadı ̄kṣā , the preliminary initiation that entitles the candidate to follow the ordinary religious obligations of a given Tantric tradition; rahasya instead probably signifies the esoteric, salvific teaching destined for the most qualified adept. This passage, which is the only one dealing with initiation in the TR, provides only a meagre and inaccurate description of this ceremony. To begin with, there is a dearth of information about which rite, among the sub-­ varieties of the dı ̄kṣa,̄ is being referred to. The ritual described in the TR is not comparable either with the ceremony handed down in the sources of the early South Indian Tripurā tradition, or even with that recorded in the LU. The form of dı ̄kṣa ̄ undergone by the followers of the South Indian saṃ pradāya (“tradition”) of Śivānanda is described in the Jñānadı ̄pavimarśinı ̄ (JDV),94 a paddhati written by Śivānanda’s near-contemporary Vidyānanda (1225–1275).95 The detailed analysis of this rite provided by Khanna96 will be summarized here to show how the rite differs from that described in the TR. In the JDV the ceremony consists of two phases: (1) the esoteric worship of Tripurasundarı̄ and her retinue; (2) the initiation through penetration (vedhadı ̄kṣa)̄ , whereby the guru transfers his powers to the subtle body of the disciple. The dı ̄kṣa ̄ takes place in a sacred pavilion, where the guru, assuming the likeness of the Goddess and accompanied by his female partner (śakti), performs the regular worship of Tripurā (nityapūjā). On the North-east of the pavilion a navayoni maṇḍala with a square enclosure is traced; nine jars (kalaśa), representing Tripurā and the goddesses of her retinue, are placed

 ̄ The Tripurārahasya and the S ŕ ıvidyā Tradition  21 on the nine seats of this maṇḍala. The jars are covered with red cloth and red thread, smeared with fragrances, and decorated with jewels; they are filled with diverse liquids, and their mouths are covered with mango leaves and conch shells full of various substances. The guru worships the gurumaṇḍala, Gaṇeśa and Baṭuka,97 and installs six thrones. By reciting the mūlamantra, he makes offerings to Tripurā in the centre, and to the goddesses of her retinue represented by the nine jars. In front of the navayoni maṇḍala the guru traces a maṇḍala consisting of a triangle and a circle and there establishes the six thrones. He places a conch shell full of gems on that maṇḍala and makes offerings of sanctified libation water to the goddesses. The disciple is led blindfolded to the pavilion and is sprinkled with the libation water in front of the navayoni maṇḍala. The guru then performs the ceremony of maṇḍaladarśana, revealing the maṇḍala to the disciple. The second phase of the ceremony consists – as Khanna explains98 – in a ritual death–rebirth experience, which unfolds in two stages. The guru first destroys/burns the subtle body of the disciple, by ridding it of the three impurities (mala); this is a ritual death, whose effect is the obliteration of the disciple’s nature of limited knower (paśupramātṛ) and the cessation of the wheel of karman for him. The second stage consists in the transference of power from the guru to the disciple by penetration (s ́āktasamāveśa); this occurs by means of the arousal of the kuṇḍalinı ̄śakti and the awakening of the latent powers of the disciple’s body. The guru thus recreates a new subtle body for the disciple, fit for performing the worship of the deity. This is a spiritual rebirth, by which means the disciple, empowered with Śiva-identity, gains authority in the secret saṃ pradāya. A comparison of this outline of the dı ̄kṣa ̄ as recorded in the JDV with the ritual described in the TR shows that the latter omits any detail regarding the regular worship of the Goddess, which should precede the crucial part of the initiation ceremony.99 However, the main difference between the JDV and the TR consists in the fact that, although both texts100 refer to the ridding of the three impurities, no mention is made in the TR of the initiation through penetration (vedhadı ̄kṣa)̄ , which constitutes instead the core of the ceremony described in the JDV. As for the LU, the text states (LU, 43) that both the identification with the deity and the purification from all sins is obtained by means of initiation (v. 2), and a classification of the different types of dı ̄kṣa ̄ is provided (vv. 3–7). There follows a description of the procedure of the ceremony, which includes: the propitiation of Tripurā by offering her the sixteen services (upacāra) (vv. 8–14); the recitation of the one-thousand-syllable mantra (sahasrākṣaravidyā, i.e. a series of epithets of Lalitā, to be found in non-numbered verses); a series of rites performed while the disciple is blindfolded, involving the mental recitation of mantras, beginning with the śrı ̄cintāmaṇimantra and mātṛkāmantras, and the offering of flowers to the Goddess (vv. 15–26); the offerings of food to Mahātripurasundarı̄, after removal of the disciple’s blindfold (vv. 27–28); the whispering of the sixteen-syllable mantra into the left ear of the disciple (vv. 29–30); the

22  Myths and Rituals analysis of the disciple’s dream on the following day, and the final homage to the guru, upon whom the disciple bestows his own body, possessions and vital breath (vv. 31–35).101 In terms of how the rites are described, a comparison of the TR with the LU is instructive: in the otherwise minute description of the dı ̄kṣa ̄ given in the LU there is no mention of the cutting of the three bonds and of the purification of the three tattvas. The TR instead, while not giving any detail about the concrete performance of the rites, does mention certain important steps in Tantric initiation, and implies their purposes. According to the text, the purifying function of the dı k̄ ṣa ̄ is fulfilled by the cutting of the three pāsá s and the purification of the three tattvas, and her transformative function is served by the nyāsa. Moreover, while the instruction regarding caryā and ācāra aims at introducing the candidate into the community of the initiates, the salvific virtue of the dı ̄kṣa ̄ is realized by the revelation of the mantra and the yantra of the Goddess, enabling the initiate to pursue the spiritual discipline (sādhana, v. 49b) leading to liberation, expressed as the attainment of brahman (v. 49c). The TR’s handling of so crucial a rite as the dı ̄kṣa,̄ which marks the entry of the candidate into a given Tantric tradition, highlights the general attitude of the text towards ritual: its aim is not so much to provide concrete and detailed ritual prescriptions, as to point instead to the main features and purposes of the ritual in question. The essential value of initiation is duly emphasized by Dattātreya, who explains to Paraśurāma that only the dı̄ kṣā received by a guru belonging to a traditional line of spiritual teachers enables the adept to perform the worship of Tripurā and, thereby, to attain liberation; indeed, he who intends to worship the Goddess or to master her mantra without a proper initiation will meet his own doom.102

Mantra Pañcadaśak̄ ṣarı̄

́ vidyā, is provided in the mk within The mantra of Tripurasundarı̄, the Srı̄ a narrative framework, in the episode regarding Kāma and Tripurā.103 Before turning to the text of the TR, it is worth noting some features of the Śrı̄vidyā and her variants. There are two main forms of the Śrı̄vidyā, associated with two traditions going back to Lopāmudrā and Kāmarāja, respectively: the first, called ̄ Hādimata, i.e. beginning with the letter HA, sounds HASAKALA HRIṂ ̄ SAKALA HRIṂ ̄ ; the second, called Kādimata, HASAKAHALA HRIṂ ̄ HRIṂ ̄ HASAKAHALA i.e. beginning with the letter KA, sounds KAEILA ̄ SAKALA HRIṂ ̄ . In his commentary [Ṛjuvimarśinı ̄ (ṚjuVi)] on the HRIṂ NṢA, Śivānanda mentions these two lines of transmission of the vidyā.104 The NṢA itself seems to follow the Kādimata of Kāmarāja,105 whereas from the commentary of Amṛtānanda one can detect that the YH follows the Hādimata of Lopāmudrā.106 Both Hādimata and Kādimata are ancient

 ̄ The Tripurārahasya and the S ŕ ıvidyā Tradition  23

and authoritative forms of the Śrı̄vidyā, which occur in several texts up to modern times.107 Padoux quotes the opinion of Vrajavallabha Dviveda – the pandit who edited both NṢA and YH – who considers the Hādimata to be mainly concerned with inner worship (antaryāgapradhāna) and faithfully adhering to tradition, whereas the Kādimata should be regarded as more innovatory and recent, and as mostly associated with external worship (bāhyayāgapradhāna).108 As regards the TR, in the episode mentioned above, Lakṣmı̄, in the presence of Kāma, performs the external worship of Tripurā while reciting her 108 names; subsequently, after Kāma has devoted himself to the inner worship of the Goddess, while meditating on her 108 names, Tripurā, taking the form of Lakṣmı̄,109 appears to him in a dream and reveals to him her vidyā consisting of fifteen syllables (pañcadaśākṣarı ̄). The vidyā is said to be concealed in the hymn of the 108 names,110 hence it is to be understood in conjunction with this hymn.111 In fact, the vidyā is given in the text in encoded form – as is usually the case – and the stotra which provides a key to decoding the mantra is acrostic, in the sense that the 108 names of Tripurā can be divided into nine series, where the epithets appearing in each of these series begin with one of the following letters, in this order: ka, a, e, ı ̄, la, ha, ra, aṃ , sa. These letters do not themselves form the vidyā, as is, for instance, the case of the LTS, a hymn-cum-mantra consisting of fifteen sets of twenty epithets, where the epithets belonging to each of these sets begin with one of the letters of the pañcadaśākṣarı ̄, in due order, thereby forming the vidyā;112 in the case of the TR instead, the nine letters deriving from the acrostic hymn do not form the vidyā, but help in deciphering her encoded description. This encoded description runs as follows:113 The [vidyā] consisting of fifteen [syllables is] well established [and] concealed in the hymn of the [108] names. [50cd] There (in the hymn of the 108 names) [it is] ninefold,114 relating to eight [series of] names.115 [51ab] The first [letter] (KA) [is] in the beginning (in place one in the pañcadaśākṣarı ̄), in the Vasus (in place eight116) [and] in [place] thirteen. The fifth [letter] (LA) [is] in the Veda (in place four117), in the directions (in place ten118) [and] in the Manus (in place fourteen119). [51cd] The sixth [letter] (HA) [is] in the tastes (in place six120) and in the goad (in place nine121). The last [letter] (SA) [is] placed in the horse (in place seven122) and in the sun (in place twelve123). [52ab] Truly the third, [the letter] E is connected with the second [place]. And the fourth [letter] (I)̄ [52cd] [is] in the place following the second (in place three). The combination of the sixth (HA), the seventh (RA) and the fourth (I)̄ [letters] connected with ̄ ) [is] placed in the elements (in place the eighth [letter] (AṂ ) (= HRIṂ five124), in the Rudras (in place eleven125) [and] in the lunar days (in place fifteen126). [53] Truly this is the great origin, the wonderful form of Tripurā. [54ab]127

24  Myths and Rituals ̄ The vidyā disclosed by this encoded formulation is thus: KA E I ̄ LA HRIṂ ̄ SA KA LA HRIṂ ̄ . The TR thus follows the Kādimata HA SA KA HA LA HRIṂ ́ vidyā, in the tradition of Kāmarāja. Besides the NṢA – at least form of the Srı̄ according to Jayaratha’s interpretation128 – the Kādimata is also followed by the LU and the LTS.129 In the LU, Chapter 38 deals with the Śrı̄vidyā:130 after mentioning the two main variants of the vidyā (vv. 9–12b) and giving the Kādimata in encoded form (vv. 12c–14b), the text states that the mantra originated from Smara (Kāmadeva) and was in the mouth of Śrı̄.131 This association of the vidyā of Tripurā with Kāma and Śrı̄ Lakṣmı̄ is also emphasized in the TR. In fact, after Tripurā has revealed her vidyā, Kāma, urged by Lakṣmı̄, devotes himself to its mental recitation for a long time, until Tripurā appears before him in her corporeal form and tells him that her vidyā would henceforth be known by his name, because he was the first adept who practised it.132 The assertion of the LU that the Śrı̄vidyā originated from Kāma (smarayoni) is expressed in the TR by the statement that the vidyā is to be known by the name of the god of love; the formulation of the LU that the mantra was in the mouth of Lakṣmı̄ (śrı ̄yo mukhe) is illustrated in the TR by the fact that it is in the form of Lakṣmı̄ that Tripurā appeared in Kāma’s dream, revealing the Śrı̄vidyā, and it was Lakṣmı̄ herself who taught him the hymn of the108 names, in which the vidyā was concealed. A comparison of the LU with the TR reveals several differences. The LU gives a detailed description of the ritual practices aimed at mastering the vidyā (vv. 17–32), enumerating the fruits and extraordinary powers (siddhi) to be obtained thereby (vv. 33–63 and 67–71); conversely the TR, after giving the pañcadaśākṣarı ̄, provides no further information about the practice of the vidyā and its outcome, but is limited to praising the hymn of the 108 names. Its recitation is regarded as a religious duty for the adepts of the Śrı̄vidyā, who should recite it daily and during the regular and occasional rites; the rewards gained through this recitation – it is said – range from the fulfilment of all desires to dwelling in the abode of the Goddess.133 Ṣoḍaśak̄ ṣarı ̄ Although the pañcadaśākṣarı ̄, in either one of her two variants Hādimata and Kādimata, is considered the principal mantra of Tripurā, there is also a sixteen-syllable (ṣoḍaśākṣarı ̄ ) form of the Śrı̄vidyā. In his commentary on LSN, 1, 7, Bhāskararāya writes: “Vidyā: either the fifteen-syllabled or the sixteen-syllabled mantra, i.e. Pañcadaśı ̄ or Ṣoḍaśı ̄.”134 In the Tripurā tradition, sixteen is also the number of the Nityās,135 “the eternal ones”, a group of goddesses worshipped especially to have success in love. The Nityās are mentioned both in the NṢA and in the YH, where they are associated with the sixteen (fifteen plus one) lunar days (tithi), the sixteen lunar digits (kalā) and the sixteen vowels.136 The ancient cult of the Nityās is considered an early stage of the cult of Tripurā/Tripurasundarı̄, whose tradition is handed down in the NṢA and YH.137

 ̄ The Tripurārahasya and the S ŕ ıvidyā Tradition  25 Like the pañcadaśākṣarı ̄, the ṣoḍaśākṣarı ̄ is also presented in the TR within a narrative context. The Goddess Tripurā/Lalitā once recommended the gods – who were able to contemplate only her limited form (rūpa parimita) – ́ to worship her with the method of the Srı̄sū kta,138 which might allow them to attain the vision of her own form (svarūpa), namely her own self consisting of ́ energy (śaktimayı ̄ tanu).139 This Srı̄sū kta originated from the Veda, consisted of sixteen “verses” (ṣoḍaśārca) – and here the text, probably to stress the Vedic origin of the Śrı̄sūkta, uses the term ṛc (“verse”) instead of the usual term akṣara (“letter/syllable”) – and had to be kept as secret as the Śrı̄vidyā. Lakṣmı̄ was the first to worship Tripurā with this method, yearning for complete union (sāyujya) with her. In a speech addressed to Lakṣmı̄,140 Tripurā claims that their natures are the same: I am known as Śrı̄vidyā, my city shall be Srı̄pura, my diagram shall be the Śrı̄cakra, the method [of my worship] shall be the Śrı̄krama. [46] This Śrı̄sūkta shall be my vidyā [and] shall be [made of] the sixteen [syllables] of Śrı̄; I am called Mahālakṣmı̄ because of our sameness of nature. [47] … You are me, o goddess, and I am you, there shall be no difference between the two of us. [58cd]141 Then, praising the ṣoḍaśākṣarı ̄, Tripurā says: I am the vidyā, which is declared to be complete with your all-auspicious phonic seed (bı ̄ja, i.e. śrı ̄m), [thus becoming] the great mantra of Śrı̄, made of sixteen syllables (mahās ́rı ̄ṣoḍaśākṣarı ̄). [55] … I am concealed in the [Śrı̄]sūkta [vidyā] in the form of [its] meaning and my phonic seed (bı ̄ja) too is kept secret [57ab] … Nowhere in the world is there another [vidyā] dearer than your Sūkta. [58ab]142 Tripurā’s words recall a short passage of the LU, in which the identification of Tripurā with Lakṣmı̄ is explicitly asserted,143 and in which the Śrı̄vidyā is said to be composed by adding the bı ̄ja of Śrı̄ to the Kāmarāja form of the vidyā, thereby obtaining the ṣoḍaśākṣarı ̄, which is the highest vidyā, a secret to be kept zealously concealed.144 Since the text of the TR expands these statements from the LU, the latter may be considered its direct source. It is worth noting that, in commenting on LSN, 1, 3, and in all likelihood quoting from the same passage of the LU, Bhāskararāja writes: “… as it is said ‘when the letter śrı ̄ is added at the end of the mantra called Kāmarāja, it consists of sixteen syllables and is called Śrı̄vidyā.’”;145 Bhāskararāja is evidently referring here to the Kādimata variant of the pañcadaśākṣarı ̄, which becomes ṣoḍaśākṣarı ̄ by the procedure mentioned in the LU and adopted in the TR.146 The affinity between Tripurā and Lakṣmı̄, asserted in both the TR and the LU, should be understood in the context of the interplay between Tantric traditions and Purāṇic, popular religion in medieval India. The mutual influences between these two streams of Hinduism impacted the

26  Myths and Rituals relationships between Tantric and Purāṇic deities in general, and goddesses in particular. The TR provides a good instance of this phenomenon. The identity of Tripurā that emerges from the TR is complex: philosophically, she is identified with the Supreme Consciousness;147 she is regarded, theologically, as the Great Goddess (mahādevı ̄), subsuming all other goddesses, who are to be considered as her manifestations or shares. Accordingly, her figure absorbs those of local goddesses, such as Lalitā and Kāmākṣı,̄ as well as those of mainstream Hindu goddesses like Śrı̄ Lakṣmı̄. Padoux remarked that Tripurā appears as an elusive deity.148 In the mk of the TR she can embody both the saumya (“gentle, benevolent”), peaceful aspects of the Goddess, as is the case of Lakṣmı̄, as well as her ugra (“fierce”), warring aspects, as is the case of Lalitā, depicted as warrior goddess in the LM. In the verses quoted above, the assimilation with Śrı̄ Lakṣmı̄ fulfils the purpose of enhancing the saumya features of Tripurā herself. The emphasis on the fundamentally benevolent character of Tripurā provides the theological justification for the importance attributed to the ṣoḍaśākṣarı ̄. As the virtues of Lakṣmı̄ crown the figure of Tripurā, so Lakṣmı̄’s bı ̄ja Śrı̄ṃ completes her vidyā, the pañcadaśākṣarı ̄, forming the ṣoḍas ́ākṣarı ̄, the most beloved among all mantras (priyatara, v. 58a). But in so doing, the TR also complies with those lineages of the Śrı̄vidyā tradition – testified in the LU and recorded by Bhāskararāja – where the ṣoḍaśākṣarı ̄ is said to be formed by the addition of the bı ̄ja Śrı̄ṃ to the pañcadaśākṣarı ̄. Finally, mention should be made of the fact that the author(s) of the TR proved to be aware of the existence of other, different forms of the Śrı̄vidyā, handed down by diverse gurus. In resuming the story of Kāma at the beginning of the LM, the god of love is praised as a fervent devotee of Tripurā, a founder of the Śrı̄vidyā (vidyāpravartaka), and is counted as one among the twelve gurus who mastered the vidyā (vidyeśvara), namely: Manu, Candra, Kubera, Lopāmudrā, Manmatha (Kāma), Agastya, Agni, Sūrya, Indra, Skanda, Śiva and Krodhabhaṭtạ ̄raka (Durvāsas).149 In this respect, the TR differs from the LU, which mentions only ten variants of the mantra of Lalitā.150 Details about the mantras associated with the respective gurus – which are not given in the TR – are instead found in at least two other texts of the Tripurā tradition. The first is the Jñānārṇavatantra (JaT), a later work than NṢA and YH,151 whose terminus ante quem has been indicated before the 16th century CE.152 Here the different kinds of vidyās are described and associated with the following twelve gurus: Lopāmudrā, Agastya, Kāmarāja, Manu, Candra, Kubera, Nandi, Indra, Sūrya, Śaṅkara, Viṣṇu and Durvāsas.153 The second is the Tripurātāpinı ̄ Upaniṣad (TTP), a spurious Vedic text of relatively late date, belonging to the group of the Sā́ kta Upaniṣads, which were probably composed around the end of the 13th century CE.154 The TTP describes twelve kinds of Śrı̄vidyā, namely, a first type related to the pair of Śakti and Śiva, and those related to the following gurus: Lopāmudrā, Durvāsas, Manu, Candra, Kubera, Agastya, Nandi, Prabhākara, Ṣaṇmukha (Skanda), Paramaś iva and Viṣṇu.155 It is evident that there are some discrepancies regarding the names and order

 ̄ The Tripurārahasya and the S ŕ ıvidyā Tradition  27 of the gurus. It is to be noted that the list of gurus found in the TR also occurs, in the same order, in the commentary by Bhāskararāya on epithet 238 of the LSN, where he writes: The Śrı̄vidyā is of twelve kinds differentiated according to the twelve devotees, ‘Manu, Candra, Kubera, Lopāmudrā, Manmatha, Agastya, Agni, Sūrya, Indra, Skanda, Śiva and Krodhabhaṭtạ ̄raka [Durvāsas]. These are the devotees of Devı̄.’ The description of these (mantras) is given in the Jñānārṇava.156 Although he mentions the JaT, Bhāskararāya does not indicate the gurus as they are enumerated in this text, but quotes a list which is identical to that of the TR. He may thus have been referring to some other source, from which the author(s) of the TR might also have drawn. Certainly, these forms of the Śrı̄vidyā, which are testified in the JaT, TTU and other texts, are to be ascribed to a late stage of the Tripurā tradition.157 In conclusion, the handling of the mantras of Tripurā in the TR indicates that the author(s) of the work was/were aware of their essential importance and of the method of setting them forth in a traditional encoded form. However, no space is devoted in the text to speculation about the esoteric meanings of the Śrı̄vidyā, which should be comprehended and experienced by the adept in the meditative realization (bhāvanā), the core of the ritual practice necessary to master a mantra. These topics are instead extensively elaborated in the YH, as well as in the works of later exegetes of the tradition, such as the Kāmakalāvilāsa (KKV)158 by the South Indian Puṇyānanda (ca. 1300, guru of Amṛtānanada), and the VR by Bhāskararāya. As in the case of initiation, so also in the domain of the mantras, the TR simply indicates what should be done – performing the dı ̄kṣa,̄ knowing the vidyā – without detailing concretely the method of doing it, and without discussing the meanings of the ritual element described. Pūjā Before dealing with the cult (pūjā) of Tripurā described in the mk, the TR’s view on the relationship between Tantric and Vedic ritual should be considered. This issue is discussed in the penultimate chapter of the mk, where Dattātreya declares that, ultimately, there is no difference between Veda and Tantra.159 Nevertheless, whereas Vedic ritual aims only at the fulfilment of worldly goals, Tantric ritual brings about worldly enjoyment (bhukti), extraordinary powers (siddhi) and liberation (mokṣa); the Tantric method is therefore to be regarded as superior to the Vedic.160 There is nothing original in this viewpoint: attempts to accommodate the Tantric and the Vedic date back to “the process of brahmanisation of the old Tantric cults (and, reciprocally, the tantrisation of the brāhmanic milieux)”161 which, in the case of the Tripurā tradition, was already present in Kashmir and developed in the later stages of the South Indian Srı̄vidyā, which was affected by the influence of the Smārta brāhmans.162

28  Myths and Rituals Accordingly, the presence of Vedic elements is detectable in two episodes of the narrative of the mk. It is recorded that once the gods propitiated Tripurā to seek protection from the demon Bhaṇḍa. They performed a great sacrifice, according to the method of the Tantras, worshipping the Goddess by means of mantras and offerings. Brahmā acted as Brahmā, Aṅgiras as ācār ya, and Śiva, Viṣṇu and the other gods as sacrificing priests (ṛtvij). In the end Aṅgiras, meditating on the supreme Mother, worshipped her by offering a complete oblation (pūrṇah̄ uti) into the sacrificial fire of Consciousness, which was burning in a great fire-pit; then, praised with devotion by the gods, the Mother, Tripurā manifested herself, arising from the fire-pit, out of the core of that flaming fire of Consciousness.163 At a later point in the narrative, the gods asked Tripurā to reveal her visible form, to enable them to venerate her, and the Goddess consented to appear in the Island of Jewels, located in the midst of the ocean of nectar.164 The gods reached the island and built an altar, the fire of which issued from the eyes of Śiva and was stoked by the fuel produced by the consciousness of Viṣṇu; in worshipping the supreme deity, Brahmā’s mind was the sacrificial animal, his intellect the clarified butter, his egoity the oblation and his senses the vessels. As the gods were meditating on the feminine form (strı ̄mūrti) of the deity as an oblation offered into the fire, the supreme Goddess manifested herself in the middle of the altar, in the form in which she was meditated upon and, praised by the gods as the supreme Śakti, she burst out from the fire as the Beauty of the three worlds (trailokyasundarı )̄ .165 These passages from the TR are based on the LU. When Lalitā is first introduced as she who will defeat the demon Bhaṇḍa to protect the three worlds, she is said to have arisen from the fire of a great sacrifice, and is depicted as endowed with her attributes, noose, goad, bow, and arrows.166 At a later point, the text gives some details about this sacrifice. Since the gods were threatened by Bhaṇḍa, they performed a great sacrifice to propitiate the supreme Śakti and worshipped her by pouring into the fire oblations of meat; they cut the meat into pieces and made invocations with mantras. As every piece of meat, including feet and hands, had been offered and the gods wished to sacrifice the whole body, a mass of glowing fire appeared before them: from the middle of it arose a circle-shaped halo, and in the centre of this appeared the Great Goddess, shining like the rising sun. She was the embodiment of life, beauty, beatitude, erotic rapture (śṛṅgārarasa) and compassion, and was red-hued, red-clothed and holding the noose, the goad, and the attributes of Kāma, the sugarcane bow and the five arrows.167 At another point of the LU, within the description of Śrı̄pura, it is said that in the heart of the city of the Goddess there is a mansion made of gems yielding all desires (cintāmaṇigṛha), the abode of Lalitā. There, at her command, in a large fire-pit, the fire of Consciousness blazes, kindled by hundreds of streams of nectar; without fuel, its huge flames are fed by nectar alone. There the great Goddess and Kāmeśvara act as sacrificing priests; they are constantly performing sacrifices to protect the universe.168

 ̄ The Tripurārahasya and the S ŕ ıvidyā Tradition  29 Vedic, Purāṇic and Tantric elements are blended in these passages of the LU. The connection between the origin of Lalitā and Vedic sacrifice is suggested by the passage (LU, 10, 88–90) in which she is said to arise from the fire of a great sacrifice (mahāyāgānalāt, v. 88d). There, the Goddess is said to manifest in her third form (tṛtı ̄ya rūpa, v. 88c), which is probably to be understood as her visible, corporeal (sthūla) form, to be considered as the third after her subtle (sūkṣma) mantra form and her supreme (para), transcendent form; in fact, Lalitā shows herself endowed with the same attributes of the Tantric goddess Tripurasundarı̄ in her sthūlarūpa.169 But the Goddess’s association with the Vedic world is especially evident in the passage (LU, 36, 2–4) in which Lalitā and her consort act as hotrı ̄ and hotā (v. 4ab) – hotṛ being the term specifically indicating the officiant priest in Vedic sacrifices – offering oblations into the fire of Consciousness (cidvahni, cicchikhı ̄, vv. 2a, 3d) for the protection of the universe. On the other hand, the image of the fire of Consciousness fed by the nectar may be interpreted – as S. Gupta suggests170 – as symbolizing the union of Kāmeśvara and Lalitā, where the blazing fire may have stood for the illuminating aspect of cit, prakās ́a, alias Śiva Kāmeśvara, and the nectar would have suggested the sexual fluids produced by his union with the Goddess. According to this interpretation, this Vedic-like ritual would be recast in a Śākta-Śaiva, Tantric perspective. The passage describing the mahāyāga (LU, 12, 65c–73) mentions oblations of meat (māṃ sa, vv. 66d, 68a, c). In commenting on epithet 4 in the LSN, “Arisen from the fire-pit of the fire of Consciousness” (cidagnikuṇḍasaṃ bhūtā), Bhāskararāya refers to precisely this passage of the LU and understands the oblation offered by the gods as if it consisted of the flesh of their own bodies;171 in this self-sacrifice, the feet and hands mentioned in the text (v. 68d) would thus refer to body parts of the gods, rather than of a sacrificial animal. On the other hand, the term māṃ sa could also refer to one the five substances (pañcamakāra) ritually consumed during certain forms of Tantric pūjā. As for the image of Lalitā emerging from a halo (cakrākāra, v. 70b) out of a mass of splendour (tejas puñja, v. 69cd), whereas the halo in the form of cakra may allude to the Śrı̄cakra, this apparition recalls the origin of Durgā out of the great tejas emanated from the bodies of the gods, as depicted in the Devı̄ māhātmya (DM, 2, 10–13); in this case the offerings of meat would allude to the animal sacrifices performed up to the present day during the Durgā pūjā. It is therefore possible to see how in this passage, which is difficult to interpret univocally, Tantric and Purāṇic elements are inserted and blended within a Vedic-like frame. If these extracts from the LU can be considered as the source for those of the TR mentioned above, how did the author(s) of the TR reformulate the syncretic outlook expressed by the LU? In the first passage (TR, mk, 51, 29–33) the gods perform a great sacrifice (mahāyāga, v. 29c) in compliance with the Tantric method (tantramārgataḥ, v.29d) to propitiate Tripurā; whereas their preceptor (guru) Aṅgiras plays the role of ācār ya (v. 30d), a

30  Myths and Rituals term designating, in Tantric tradition, a teacher consecrated by a special initiation (ācār yābhiṣeka), the gods act as ṛtvijaḥ (v. 31a), where the term ṛtvij, like hotṛ, indicates the officiant priest in Vedic sacrifices. The result of this Vedic-Tantric ritual, where the oblations are offered into the fire of Consciousness (cidagni, v. 33d), is the manifestation of Tripurā, arising from that fire burning in the fire-pit. As in the LU, so also in the TR the Vedic and the Tantric are blended into the same ritual, but unlike the LU, where the pieces of meat that make up the entire body (kalevara in LU, 12, 69b) are poured into the fire, in the TR the complete oblation (pūrṇahuti, v. 32c), corresponding to the entire body of the LU, is offered into the fire of Consciousness; moreover, unlike the LU, the TR specifies that the sacrificial fire from which Tripurā originated is the fire of Consciousness.172 In the second passage of the TR (mk, 55, 26c–31), what may be regarded as a sublimation of the ritual is even more evident: the rite described has the characteristics of an internal sacrifice/worship (antaryāga), each element of which is internalized; accordingly, the mind (manas) takes the place of the sacrificial animal (paśu), the intellect (buddhi) of the clarified butter (ājya), the egoity (ahaṃ kāra) of the oblation (havis), and so forth (v. 28cd). Whereas in the LU the limbs of the physical body are offered as oblation, here the oblations are the constituents of the internal organ (antaḥkaraṇa), the psychic apparatus. This interiorization of the ritual, along with the asserted origin of the Goddess from the blazing Consciousness, distinguish the TR from the LU, placing the former at the heart of the Tantric world: firstly, because the internal worship alluded to in the TR constitutes the preliminary phase of every Tantric cult;173 secondly, because the idea that the Goddess endowed with corporeal features and attributes appears out of the supreme Consciousness harmonizes with the concept of mūrti, the visible form of the deity to be regarded as a condensation, a concretization of the transcendent Consciousness. It is in this concrete form that the deity can be adored in the cult. Another example of a rite in which the balance between Vedic and Tantric components is weighted towards the latter, is found in the episode of the mk where Gaurı̄ venerates a sand image of Tripurā by offering the prescribed services (upacāra) and eulogizing the Goddess with both Vedic and Tantric hymns;174 concluding her pūjā, Gaurı̄ meditates on Tripurā and, as she becomes one with the object of her meditation,175 the Goddess appears before her. Although not detailed, some of the main elements of a private Tantric pūjā are duly mentioned, namely, the homage paid to the cult image and the visualizing meditation bringing about the identification of the devotee with the deity.176 The presence of these hybrid rituals might have been meant by the author(s) of the TR as a means of exemplifying, through vivid narrative devices, on the one hand the statement of principle that there was no difference between Veda and Tantra and, on the other, the actual integration of Vedic elements in Tantric ritualism.

 ̄ The Tripurārahasya and the S ŕ ıvidyā Tradition  31 The extracts from the mk examined so far deal with rituals performed by deities in mythic contexts; it is only in the last chapter of the mk that the prescriptions for the method of worship of Tripurā by her human devotees are found.177 The contents of this chapter are not, however, comparable with the highly elaborate and complex descriptions of the pūjā to be found in the early scriptural sources (NṢA and YH) and in the exegetical works and compendia of the Tripurā tradition, as demonstrated also by the comprehensive and detailed analyses of the Srı̄cakra pūjā provided by Gupta178 and Khanna.179 The relevant chapter of the mk180 begins by mentioning, though not detailing, the regular worship of Tripurā (ārādhana, nityakriyā, v. 3bc), i.e. the nityapūjā, the daily worship which constitutes the prime religious obligation for any Tantric initiate. This pūjā is a private rite to be performed following a complex procedure, the core of which is the Śrı̄cakra pūjā, the adoration of Tripurā and of her surrounding deities (āvaraṇadevatās) on the Śrı̄cakra, which is both the diagrammatic form of the Goddess, the symbol of her cosmic activity, and the mental and material support for her cult. The adept should worship the deities dwelling in the Śrı̄cakra by proceeding from the outer parts of the diagram towards its centre, the bindu, which is the abode of Tripurā; by means of his creative and identifying meditation (bhāvanā), as well as by practising the kuṇḍalinı ̄yoga, the adept should actualize and interiorize the process of cosmic emanation in reverse order, thereby getting progressively back to its source, the Goddess.181 This complex meditative-yogic-ritual practice is simply alluded to in the text of the TR: regarding the worship of the Śrı̄cakra, it recommends only that the deities surrounding the Śrı̄cakra (parivāradevatā, v. 21d) should be worshipped, since they are shares (aṃ s ́a, v. 22c) of Tripurā and are appointed to grant the desires of human beings (lokavāñchārthadānin, v. 22a); Tripurā, who dwells in the binducakra (v. 24a) in the centre of the diagram, is said to be the self of all these śaktis (aikyātmā, v. 23d). Even if essential parts of the pūjā – such as the nyāsa and the japa, i.e. the meditative repetition of the Śrı̄vidyā – are not mentioned in the text of the TR, it is evident that its author(s) understand(s) that the Śrı̄cakra pūjā is the core of the cult. Moreover, qualifying the parivāradevata s̄ as those who grant human desires seems to refer to the fact that these goddesses – the yoginı s̄ – preside over the various siddhis, the extraordinary magic powers whose acquisition is one of the aims of their cult.182 Furthermore, the locution defining Tripurā as the self of all the yoginı s̄ recalls the verse of the YH which concludes the prescriptions of their cult: “[But] you alone it is, Enchantress of the Worlds, who are playing under the guise of these [deities]!”183 Following this brief reference to the nityapūjā, the central portion of the chapter is devoted to the description of a special ritual (viśeṣa karman, v. 3d) which confers a great reward, hence a ritual which can be considered both naimittika (to be performed on special occasions) and kāmya (aimed at obtaining a particular benefit). It is said to be suitable for rich people and

32  Myths and Rituals

is to be performed in a temple (prasāda, v. 8a), where either a Śrı̄cakra or a cult image (mūrti, v. 8c) of the Goddess must be installed and consecrated. The text then briefly describes the temple ritual routine, the cult which takes place five times daily and in the full moon and new moon days, as well as the festivals (utsava) during which the movable image (pratimā, v. 11d) of the Goddess is carried in procession. The rewards obtained by worshipping the Goddess in a temple are also enumerated: he who builds a temple will dwell, after death, in the sapphire rampart of Śrı̄pura; he who installs the Śrı̄cakra in a temple built by another will attain union (sāyujya) with the Goddess in due course; he who lives near a temple, will reach, after death, the golden rampart of Śrı̄pura. Thereafter begins the description of the special ritual, which is to start on Venus day, and whose procedure is as follows: ) worship of Gaṇeśa, 1 2) offering of the five services (upacāra) to the Goddess, 3) repetition of her thousand names (to be performed daily), 4) installation of a golden pot (kalaśa), decorated with a thread and a cloth, on a sarvatobhadra diagram endowed with nine yonis (navayonisamāyuta, v. 35d), where some rice has been poured; while uttering a mantra (manum uccaran, v.37b), the pot should be filled with perfumed water, five gems and five kinds of sprouting seeds, 5) placing the cult image (pratikṛti) of the Goddess in front of the pot, invoking and worshipping her, 6) worship of the deities of the sarvatobhadra, by doing the prādakṣiṇya, in due order as follows: the guardians of the ten quarters of the sky in their respective directions and in the four chains (śṛṅkhalā); Dharma and other deities in the middle, in white mansions; Adharma and other deities halfway, in red mansions; the pairs of Asitāṅga and the other [bhairavas] in the threefold three-coloured line (guṇatrayam) around the diagram.184 7) worship of the throne (pı ̄ṭha), in the pot; invocation and worship of Tripurā with upacāras.185 A notable element in this first part of the ritual, which continues during the night, is the presence of the sarvatobhadra maṇḍala. As explained by Bühnemann,186 the sarvatobhadra belongs to the category of the bha­ dramaṇḍalas, which are broadly used by the Smārta brāhmans. The name sarvatobhadra (“auspicious from all sides”) refers to its symmetric pattern, square-shaped and divided into a grid of squares, and designates various types of diagrams in different texts. The bhadramaṇḍalas are mainly employed in the concluding ceremonies (udyāpana) related to religious observances (vrata), but they can also be used during the pūjā as seat of the deity, in the installation of vital breath (prāṇapratiṣtḥ ā) into the cult images in temples, and in other rites. Within the category of the bhadramaṇḍalas, which are used by the Smārtas for the cult of the five major deities (Viṣṇu,

 ̄ The Tripurārahasya and the S ŕ ıvidyā Tradition  33 ́ Siva, Devı̄, Gaṇeśa and Sūrya), the sarvatobhadras are especially connected with Vaiṣṇava rites; of equal importance, the liṅgatobhadras – so-called because they contain several liṅga images – are particularly related to Śaiva rites. In ritual practice these maṇḍalas are generally used as supports for pots (kalaśa) which, duly consecrated by mantras, constitute the seat (āsana, pı ̄ṭha) where the deity is placed. The occurrence of the sarvatobhadra in the ritual described in the TR presents some incongruities. It is remarkable that the pot – which here represents the throne of Tripurā – is installed on this diagram, rather than on the Śrı̄cakra; moreover, the locution used to indicate the consecration of the content of the pot – “uttering a mantra” (manum uccaran, v. 37b) – may refer to any mantra, not specifically to the mantra of Tripurā, the Śrı̄vidyā. As for the pattern of the maṇḍala, it is difficult to envisage how a sarvatobhadra, which is generally quadrangular, could be endowed with nine yonis (navayonisamāyuta, v. 35d), the more so since the locution navayoni usually designates the central portion of the Śrı̄cakra. On the other hand, in mentioning the worship of the deities of the maṇḍala, the text refers to some of the constituent parts of the sarvatobhadra: the four chains (śṛṅkhalā) may indicate the black coloured chains composed of small squares to be found in the sarvatobhadra; the threefold threecoloured line (guṇatrayam) around the diagram may indicate the three lines outside the diagram (white, red, black) which, in the sarvatobhadra, are equated with the three guṇas; the white and red mansions may refer to the designs of white ponds (vāpı )̄ and red offsets (bhadra) to be found in the sarvatobhadra.187 The presence of Asitāṅga and the other bhairavas seems incongruous, however, because these deities are invoked not in the sarvatobhadras, but in the liṅgatobhadras.188 This incoherent picture, together with the incompleteness of the description, is puzzling. Certainly, the sarvatobhadra occurring in the TR does not seem to match any of the types of bhadramaṇḍala described by Bühnemann in her comprehensive study based on recent and older sources.189 It therefore seems plausible that the TR might refer to a Śākta form of bhadramaṇḍala, in which elements of the Śrı̄cakra, such as the navayoni, have been included. It is difficult to establish whether this maṇḍala had ever been in use in ritual practice, and the same difficulty extends to the entire ritual described in this chapter of the mk. The association of the Goddess with the sarvatobhadra also occurs in the nocturnal ritual. At midnight Tripurā is to be worshipped with her consort, called cakranāyaka (v. 45d), a term which should indicate Kāmeśvara, the central male deity of the Śrı̄cakra;190 apparently, they are to be worshipped in the sarvatobhadra, in the west of the pot.191 The night ritual ends with the worship of a girl (kumārı )̄ , a boy (baṭuka), the guru, a married woman (suvāsinı )̄ and the brāhmans.192 The kumārı̄ and the baṭuka should represent Tripurā and her consort.193 The worship of a suvāsinı̄ may allude to the rites performed by the Tantrics following the vāmācāra (“left hand practice”); these rites include

34  Myths and Rituals the offerings of five items known as pañcamakāra, the last of which is the maithuna, the ritual sexual union with a suvāsinı̄, who is deemed to represent the Goddess.194 On the following day, the ritual continues with the worship of Kāmeśvara (cakranāyaka, 49b) and offerings of flowers into the fire. Then the pot with its cloth, the cult image, and the fees (dakṣinā) should be given to the suvāsinı̄, a detail which suggests that she plays an important role as partner of the worshipper in the suvāsinı̄pūjā mentioned above. Finally, sixteen brāhmans, eight married women, boys and girls are to be fed.195 The feeding of sixteen brāhmans is also mentioned in the LTS where, their number being equal to the Nityās, they are deemed to represent these goddesses. Hence by offering food to the brāhmans, homage is paid to the Nityās.196 The main rewards to be expected from the performance of this special ritual are freedom from all sins, fulfilment of all desires, a happy life and, eventually, liberation. Further boons, to be obtained by offering various flowers, are a kingdom, prosperity, offspring, friendship, health, and destruction of enemies. Instructions are also given about the offerings of lamps and the method of sprinkling the Śrı̄cakra while reciting either the Śrı̄sūkta or the Rudra mantra. The second half of the chapter deals with various pious deeds and the related acquisition of merits.197 Poor and simple people, who cannot afford the ritual previously described, may serve in the temples and, according to the service rendered, they will obtain after death a place in one of the ramparts of Śrı̄pura. Among the merits acquired through various donations, the gift of a Śrı̄cakra is regarded as the most rewarding; after its offering, the feeding of sixteen suvāsinı s̄ , or of sixteen brāhmans, is once more associated with the worship of the sixteen Nityās. Finally, the merits acquired by renovating a damaged temple, reviving an abandoned cult of the Śrı̄cakra and handing down the lore of the Srı̄vidyā are praised. The “special ritual”, which is the core of this chapter, is also its most problematic topic and deserves further examination. Compared with the elaborate prescriptions about the naimittika and/or the kāmya rites – which follow, besides their specific traits, the same pattern of the nityapūjā198 – the text of the TR, once again, mentions only a few important steps of these rites, while omitting essential elements. No reference is made to the preliminary purification of the worshipper (bhūtaśuddhi), to his divinization enabled by the nyāsa, or to the internal worship which should precede the external worship. Moreover, regarding the offering of the five upacāras to the Goddess, the text enjoins the repetition of her names, while omitting ́ vidyā. But the most baffling to mention the japa of her mūlamantra, the Srı̄ element of this special ritual is the presence of the sarvatobhadramaṇdạ la. This hybrid diagram, whose original pattern appears modified according to ́ cakra; but a Sā́ kta adaptation, plays a role of its own in the cult, besides the Srı̄ unfortunately, no information is given about the reason for its presence and ́ cakra. If its occurrence is further proof of the mutual its relation to the Srı̄ ́ vidyā influence between Smārta and Tantric components of the late Srı̄

 ̄ The Tripurārahasya and the S ŕ ıvidyā Tradition  35 tradition, on the other hand, the worship of the suvāsinı ̄, and the feeding of the sixteen brāhmans who stand for the sixteen Nityās, seem to bring the ritual back to the earliest stages of the Tripurā tradition. It is therefore difficult to draw a coherent picture of this viśeṣa karman and to evaluate the respective roles of its different components and their mutual relationships. In conclusion, this ritual chapter of the TR touches upon a variety of topics, which, had they been comprehensively discussed, might have provided information about the ritual practices of the adepts of the Śrı̄vidyā, as handed down by the author(s) of this work. These include: the nityapūjā of Tripurā on the Śrı̄cakra and the routine of public temple rituals (vv. 1–29); the description of a special ritual (vv. 30–54); the illustration of the merits to be acquired by various pious deeds (vv. 69–107). However, because of the cursory way in which these topics are dealt with, and the lacunae about important matters, the resultant picture is incomplete and incoherent.199 There are two possible explanations for this: the first is that the contents of this chapter may simply have been intended as a preview of topics treated more thoroughly in the missing section of the work (the caryākhaṇḍa); however, the very presence of this ritual chapter at the end of the mk would seem to render unnecessary a further section of the work devoted to ritual matters. The second and more convincing possibility is that the ritual issues were not crucial to the author(s) of the TR, as is also apparent in the soteriology propounded by the work, according to which knowledge is much more important than ritual as a means of liberation.200 If the latter were indeed the case, the mere allusion to a certain ritual, far from being regarded as a lacuna, may have been considered sufficient information for the practitioners of the Śrı̄vidyā, for whom the method of performing the ritual in question was taken for granted, and who would therefore have been well able to fill in the gaps in the text themselves.

Notes 77 For a discussion of this problem, see Introduction. 78 See Sanderson 2017: 4–5. 79 TR, mk, 1, 42c–51b: atha taṃ rāma āhūya vatseti madhurasvaram || 42cd || puṣpāñjaliṃ prayojyāgra*sthita (em. sthitā) haimāsane sú bhe | yā bālā tripurā proktā lalitā s ́rı k̄ umārikā || 43 || tasyā vapurvāṇmayaṃ yat tac chiṣyāya pradattavān | sāṅgaṃ pı t̄ ḥ aṃ samabhyarcya nānāvibhavahetubhiḥ || 44 || prajaptadivyakalaśatoyaiḥ sasnāpya mārgataḥ | pās ́atrayam api chitvā cādhivāsya niśāṃ tataḥ || 45 || grāhayāmāsa tadrūpam ādhāratrayaśobhitam | dvādaśādyaṃ turyamadhyam avasānacaturdaśam || 46 || tridhāsthitaṃ ca tadrūpaṃ tathā caryākramaṃ s ́ubham | ācārakramamudrādi rahasyam akhilaṃ kramāt || 47 || mūrdhahnmūladeśeṣu prasādaviniyojanam | svātmāgnāvāhutiṃ tattvatrayāṇam ̄ ̣ kramaśo’bravı t̄ || 48 || iti procya samādiśya tatsādhanavidhau tataḥ | vatsa itad brahma paramaṃ sādhayasvāvilambitam || 49 || tataḥ pūrṇapadaṃ tubhyaṃ dadāmy acirakālataḥ | iti samprāptasarvasvarahasyo hāritāyanaḥ || 50 || triḥ parikramya natvā taṃ śrı s̄ á ilaṃ prāviśad drutam | 51ab. 80 See the apparition of Bālā to Sumedha in TR, mk, 1, 56c–59b, quoted and translated in Synopsis, Chapter 1, and the comment on her appearance in Part II, Chapter 3.

36  Myths and Rituals 81 See the account of the deeds of Bālā in Synopsis, particularly Chapters 63–64, but also Chapters 69, 72–73, 76. 82 See TR, mk, 49, 8d: tripurāyāḥ kalātmikā. 83 See TR, mk, 10, 16ab: lalitā śrı m ̄ ahārājñı ̄ tatra pūrṇatamā matā || 16ab ||. 84 See TR, mk, 47, 26bc: parātparam yadrūpam, where parātpara means “higher than the highest”, qualifying Lalitā as the most important form of Tripurā. See also TR, mk, 49, 15–16: Truly Lalitā, who bears her own might, is a form of he who has the power of consciousness (cicchakti); regarding the gross body [of Tripurā], she (Lalitā) has the character of fullness. [15] All her other śaktis, beginning with Kumārı̄, shall be considered as [her] head, arms, feet, [whereas] Lalitā extends in every direction. [16] lalitā tasya vai mūrtiḥ svavaibhavabharātmikā | cicchakteḥ sthūlataravad dehaḥ sā pūrṇarūpiṇı ̄ || 15 || anyāḥ sarvāḥ śirobāhupādavat syur nirūpitāḥ | kumār yādyāḥ *śaktayo’syā (em. Das Rao śaktayo’syāh)̣ lalitā sarvato’dhikā || 16 ||. 85 See the entries pās ́atraya in TAK III 2013: 442, and āṇavamala in TAK I 2000: 182, 2. For a discussion of the concept of the three bonds/impurities in nondualistic Śaivism, see Sanderson 1992: 288–291. 86 See the relevant entry in TAK III 2013: 59, 1. 87 See Brunner (ed.) 1977: 428–429, note 2. 88 See the relevant entry in TAK III 2013: 66–67. 89 See the relevant entries in Ibidem: 61 and 123. 90 See the relevant entry in Ibidem: 317–319. 91 See YH, 1, 73–78b and Amtānanda’s commentary in Padoux (ed.) 1994: 170–173. 92 For a survey of the meanings of the name of Tripurā see Synopsis, Chapter 1, note 842. 93 For the meanings of caryā and ācāra, see the relevant entries in TAK II 2004: 235–236 and TAK I 2000: 176, respectively. 94 A Nepalese manuscript of this yet unedited text, dated 1382–1383, is quoted by Sanderson (see Sanderson 2012–2013: 72 and note 282). 95 See Ibidem: 72 and note 281. 96 See Khanna 1986: 177–183. 97 Baṭuka is an infant form of Bhairava. For details about this deity, see Padoux (ed.) 1994: 95, note 1; see also the relevant entry in the forthcoming TAK IV. 98 See Ibidem: 183–184. 99 It is to be noted that some of the ritual acts occurring in the nityapūjā described in the JDV, such as the tracing of the navayoni maṇḍala on which the pots representing the goddesses are placed, also occur in the TR, not in the passage in question, but in the description of a special ritual found in the last chapter of the mk (for a detailed analysis of this ritual, see below). 100 See TR, mk, 1, 45c, mentioned above. 101 See the Sanskrit text of LU, 43, 1–35 in Sarma (ed.) 1983, and the Eng. trans. in Tagare (ed.) 1984, Part V: 1336–1344. 102 See Synopsis, Chapter 79. 103 See Synopsis, Chapters 24–26. 104 “There are two lineages of the vidyā, the lineage of Lopāmudrā and the lineage of Kāmarāja” iha vidyāyāṃ saṃ tānadvayam asti –– kāmarājasaṃ tāno lopāmudrāsaṃ tāna iti [juVi on NṢA, 4, 18–19 (p. 218), quoted in Padoux (ed.) 1994: 40 and note 55]. The mantra of a female deity is called vidyā. 105 The mūlavidyā (root-mantra) of Tripurasundarı ̄ is given in encoded form in NṢA, 1, 94–96 and, more extensively, in 1, 111–118. Sanderson remarks that the two variants Hādividyā and Kādividyā ensue from alternative interpretations of the passage 1, 111–118 of the NṢA; in their commentaries, Śivānanda and Vidyānanda explain the passage in question as encoding the Hādimata

 ̄ The Tripurārahasya and the S ŕ ıvidyā Tradition  37 form of the vidyā, whereas the Kashmirian Jayaratha (1225–1275) interprets it as indicating the Kādimata (see Sanderson 2017: 22, note 44, also for the relevant detailed references). 106 See Padoux (ed.) 1994: 69. 107 See Padoux (ed.) 1994: 40 and 70. 108 See Padoux (ed.) 1994: 70, note 130. For a detailed survey of the sources dealing ́ vidyā, see Khanna 1986: 35–62. with the Hādimata and Kādimata forms of the Srı̄ 109 See TR, mk, 24, 45d–46b: … śrı h̄ ̣ parāmbikā || 45d || atha svapne manmathasya ramārūpeṇa sā parā | 46ab. 110 See Synopsis, Chapter 24. 111 For the text and annotated translation of the Auspicious Hymn of the 108 Names [of the Goddess Tripurā] (Saubhāgyāṣtọ ttaraśatanāmastotra, TR, mk, 26, 11–25), see Synopsis, Chapter 26. 112 See Sanderson 2017: 2. 113 The present translation is based on the explanation given in the table found in Das, Rao (eds.) 2011: 248–249. 114 This is a reference to the nine series of epithets contained in the acrostic hymn mentioned above, and beginning with the letters ka, a, e, ı ,̄ la, ha, ra, aṃ , sa. 115 According to Rao, this means: the series of names beginning with the nine letters, without counting the letter a [see Das, Rao (eds.) 2011: 248]. 116 Eight is the number of the Vasus (see MW, 930c). 117 Four is the number of the Vedas. 118 Ten is the number of the directions of space (see MW, 480a). 119 Fourteen is the number of the Manus (see MW, 784bc). 120 Six is the number of the original kinds of tastes (see MW, 869c). 121 Aṅka, “goad”, also indicates the number nine (see MW, 7a). 122 Seven is the number of the horses of the Sun (see MW, 114c). 123 Sūr ya also stands for the number twelve, indicating the Sun in the twelve signs of the zodiac (see MW, 1243b). 124 Five is the number of the elements (see MW, 761c). 125 Eleven is the number of the Rudras (see MW, 883b). 126 Fifteen is the number of the lunar days (see MW, 446c). 127 TR, mk, 24, 50c–54b: nāmastotre sunihitā guptā pañcadasá t̄ mikā || 50cd || navadhā saṃ sthitā tatra dviṣaṇnāmasamās ́rayā | ādyam ādyevasau*tryake (em. trayodaśake) pañcamaṃ vedadiṅmanau || 51 || ṣaṣtḥ aṃ rasāṅkayor antyam aśve sūr ye ca saṃ sthitam | dvitı ȳ ayuktam etāvat ttı ȳ añ ca caturthakam || 52 || dvitı ȳ e tatpare sthāne bhūtarudratithau sthitam | ṣaṣthasaptamaturyāṇam ̄ ̣ yogam asṭamasaṃ yutam || 53 || etan mahākāraṇaṃ vai tripurārūpam adbhutam | 54ab. 128 See above. 129 Incidentally, it is also followed by Bhāskararāya (Maharashtra, 1690–1785), the prominent exponent of the Śrı̄vidyā, who commented both NṢA and YH, and who explains the vidyā in her Kādimata form in his work Varivasyārahasya [see VR, 1, 9–11 in S. S. Sastri (ed.) 1976: 9–10]. 130 For the Sanskrit text of LU, 38, see Sarma (ed.) 1983 and for the Eng. trans., see Tagare (ed.) 1984, Part V: 1289–1299. 131 See LU, 38, 14cd: kāmādimantrarājas tu smarayoniḥ śrı ȳ o mukhe || 14cd ||. 132 See Synopsis, end of Chapter 24 and Chapter 25. 133 See Synopsis, end of Chapter 26. 134 Vidyāyāḥ pañcadas ́yāḥ ṣoḍaśyā vā [Paṇśık̄ ar (ed.) 1935: 5], Eng. trans. in R. A. Sastry (ed.) 1976: 11. 135 See the relevant entry in TAK III 2013: 297–298. 136 See YH, 3, 113ab and Amtānanda’s commentary in Padoux (ed.) 1994: 336 and note 228. 137 For detailed references, see Sanderson 2009: 47–48 and Sanderson 2012–2013: 64–65. See also epithet 391 in the LSN, “[She who] is in the form of the sixteen

38  Myths and Rituals eternal [goddesses]” (LSN, 2, 85c: nityāṣoḍası́ k̄ ārūpā) and Bhāskararāya’s abridged commentary in R. A. Sastry (ed.) 1976: 195–196. ́ s̄ ūktavidhi in TR, mk, 52, 24b and lakṣmı s̄ ūktavidhāna in Ibidem: 27c. 138 Srı 139 See Synopsis, Chapter 52. 140 See Synopsis, Chapter 53, where the entire speech of Tripurā (vv. 46–59b) is quoted and translated. 141 TR, mk, 53, 46–47, 58cd: śrı v̄ idyety aham ākhyātā śrı p̄ uraṃ me puraṃ bhavet | śrı c̄ akraṃ me bhavec cakraṃ śrı ̄kramaḥ syān mama kramaḥ || 46 || śrı s̄ ūktam etad bhūyān me vidyā śrı s̄ ọ ḍaśı ̄ bhavet | mahālakṣmı t̄ y ahaṃ khyātā tvattādātmyena saṃ sthitā || 47 || … tvam ahaṃ devy ahaṃ tvañ ca nāvayor antaraṃ bhavet || 58cd ||. 142 Ibidem, 55, 57ab, 58ab: ahaṃ vidyātmikā yat tad bı j̄ aṃ te sarvasó bhanam | pūrṇa ̄ tena samādiṣtạ ̄ mahās ́rı s̄ ̣oḍas ́ākṣarı ̄ || 55 || … sūkte’rtharūpā guptāhaṃ madbı j̄ añ cāpi gopitam | 57ab … nānyat priyataraṃ loke tvatsūktād bhavati kvacit | 58ab. 143 See LU, 41, 3bc: … seyaṃ hi tripurāmbikā | saiṣaiva hi mahālakṣmı h̄ ̣ … 144 See Ibidem, 15c–17: s ́rı v̄ idyaiṣa ̄ parā vidyā nāyikā gurunāyikā || 15cd || etasyā mantrarājas tu sŕ ı v̄ idyaiva tapodhana | kāmarājāntamantrānte sŕ ı b̄ ı j̄ ena samanvitaḥ || 16 || ṣoḍaśākṣaravidyeyaṃ s ́rı v̄ idyeti prakı r̄ titā | itthaṃ rahasyam ākhyātaṃ gopanı ȳ aṃ prayatnataḥ || 17 ||. 145 ‘Kāmarājākhyamantrānte śrı b̄ ı j̄ ena samanvitā | ṣoḍaṣak̄ ṣaravidyeyaṃ śrı v̄ idyeti prakı r̄ tite’ [Paṇśık̄ ar (ed.) 1935: 5], Eng. trans. in R. A. Sastry (ed.) 1976: 9. 146 See also epithet 587 in the LSN: “[She who is] the auspicious sixteen-syllable vidyā” (LSN, 2, 118c: śrı ̄ṣoḍaśākṣarı ̄vidyā). 147 The conceptualization of Tripurā as Consciousness is extensively discussed in Part II of this study. 148 See Padoux (ed.) 1994: 73. 149 See Synopsis, Chapter 48. 150 See LU, 38, 8cd: tebhyo’pi lalitāmantrā daśabhedavibheditāḥ || 8cd ||. 151 See Sanderson 2012–2013: 65 and note 248. 152 See Goudriaan, Gupta 1981: 67–68. 153 See JaT, 12, pp. 40–41. 154 For the probable date of the Sā́ kta Upaniṣads, see Warrier (ed.) 1975: vi and note 2. 155 See the Sanskrit text in A. M. Sastri (ed.) 1950: 20–22, and the Eng. trans. in Warrier (ed.) 1975: 8–12 and note 1, where the 12 vidyās are set forth. 156 Eng. trans. in R. A. Sastry 1976: 130–131. For the Sanskrit text, see Paṇśık̄ ar (ed.) 1935: 73. 157 See Padoux (ed.) 1994: 40 and note 56, and 70, note 131. 158 See KKV, 15–17 and the related commentary (Kāmakalāvilāsacidvallı ̄) by Naṭanānandanātha in Woodroffe (ed.) 1971: 174–176. 159 See TR, mk, 79, 71c–72b: veda eva hi tantraṃ syāt tantraṃ vedaḥ prakı r̄ titam || 71cd || nānayor vidyate bhedo leśam ̄ ̣ s ́enāpi kutracit | 72ab. 160 For more details about the argumentation of Dattātreya, see Synopsis, Chapter 79. 161 “… le processus de brahmanisation des vieux cultes tantriques (et, réciproquement, la tantrisation des mileux brahmanes)” [Padoux (ed.) 1994: 32]. 162 On this subject, see Brooks 1992, especially the Introduction and Part II. See also Sanderson 2017: 8, note 9. Incidentally, this phenomenon is not limited to the Śrı̄vidyā, but concerns also the Tantric Vaiṣṇava Pāñcarātra, as evidenced, for instance, in the Āgamaprāmāṇyam by Yāmuna (10th–11th century CE), in which the scriptural authority of the Pāñcarātra saṃ hitās is established on the basis of their alleged conformity with the Veda. 163 See TR, mk, 51, 29–33: atha devā mantrayitvā tripurāprı̄tihetave | mahāyāgena tripurām ayajan tantramārgataḥ || 29 || samāpte’tha mahāyāge mantradravyasusambhte | yatra brahmābhavad brahmā ācār yo gurur eva ca || 30 || tvijaḥ śivaviṣṇvādyā yāge tasmiṃ s tadābhavan | prāpte’ntyadivase tasmiṃ s ́ cidbhāvapravibhāvite || 31

 ̄ The Tripurārahasya and the S ŕ ıvidyā Tradition  39 || *yāgavanhau (em. yāgavahnau) cidākāre mahākuṇḍasamedhite | *ajayat (em. Das Rao ayajat) pūrṇayā hutyā gurur dhyāyan parāmbikām || 32 || tadā bhaktyā saṃ stuvatsu deveṣu tripurāmbikā | prādurāsı t̄ kuṇḍamadhyāc cidagner jvalato’ntarāt || 33 ||. For the explanation given by Brahmā of this manifestation of the divine Consciousness out of the fire, see Synopsis, Chapter 58. 164 See Synopsis, Chapter 55. 165 See TR, mk, 55, 26c–31: atha devaḥ śivaḥ kuṇḍe svākṣṇo’gnim anukalpayat || 26cd || anindhanan tu taṃ dśvā praśam ābhimukhaṃ śucim | viṣṇuḥ svayaṃ svaceto’ṃ śair edhāṃ si samakalpayat || 27 || atha prajvalite vahnau vidhi svaṃ samakalpayat | manaḥ paśuṃ buddhim ājyam ahaṅkāraṃ havis tathā || 28 || karaṇāni ca pātrāṇi tad hotuṃ devatāṃ parām | abhidhyāyamahaṃ svāntarvahnau strı̄mūr tim ı̄dśı̄m || 29 || dhyātvā havirhutaṃ yāvattāvat sā parameśvarı̄ | *kuṇḍavahneḥ (em. Rao kuṇḍamadhye) samudabhūt dhyānarūpānusāriṇı̄ || 30 || parāśaktir ı̄yaṃ tatra tato’smābhir abhiṣṭutā | niryayau pāvakāt tasmād bahis trailokyasundarı̄ || 31 ||. 166 See LU, 10, 88–90: atha bhaṇḍas̄ uraṃ hantuṃ trailokyaṃ cāpi rakṣitum | ttı ȳ am udabhūd rūpaṃ mahāyāgānalān mune || 88 || yadrūpaśal̄ inı m ̄ āhur lalitāṃ paradevatām | pās ́āṅkuśadhanurbāṇapariṣktacaturbhujām || 89 || sā devı ̄ paramā śaktiḥ parabrahmasvarūpiṇı ̄ | jaghāna bhaṇḍadaityendraṃ yuddhe yuddhaviśāradā || 90 || [Eng. trans. in Tagare (ed.) 1984, Part IV: 1073]. 167 See LU, 12, 65c–73: kuṇḍaṃ yojanavistāraṃ samyak ktvā tu śobhanam || 65cd || mahāyāgavidhānena praṇidhāya hutāśanam | yajāmaḥ paramāṃ śaktiṃ *mahāmāsair (em. mahāmāṃ sair) vayaṃ surāḥ || 66 || brahmabhūtā bhaviṣyāmo bhokṣyāmo vā triviṣṭapam | evam uktās tu te sarve devāḥ sendrapurogamāḥ || 67 || vidhivaj juhuvur *mosāny (em. māṃ sāni) utktyotktya mantrataḥ | huteṣu sarvamāṃ seṣu pādeṣu ca kareṣu ca || 68 || hotum icchatsu deveṣu kalevaram aśeṣataḥ | prādurbabhūva paraman tejaḥ puñjo hy anuttamaḥ || 69 || tanmadhyataḥ samudabhūc cakrākāram anuttamam | tanmadhye tu mahādevı̄m udayārkasamaprabhām || 70 || jagadujjı̄vanakarı̄ṃ brahmaviṣṇuśivātmikām | saundaryasārası̄māṃ tām ānandarasasāgarām || 71 || japākusumasaṃ kāśāṃ dāḍimı̄kusumāṃ barām | sarvābharaṇasaṃ yuktāṃ śṅgāraikarasālayām || 72 || kpa­̄taraṅgitāpāṅganayanālokakaumudı̄m | pāśāṅkuśekṣukodaṇḍapañcabāṇalasat­ karām || 73 || [Eng. trans. in Tagare (ed.) 1984, Part IV: 1083]. 168 See LU, 36, 2–4: tatra jvalati cidvahniḥ sudhādhārāsá tārcitaḥ | paramaiśvary­a­ janakaḥ pāvano lalitājñayā || 2 || anindhano mahājvālaḥ sudhayā tarpitā ktiḥ | kaṅkolı ̄pallavacchāyas tatra jvalāte cicchikhı ̄ || 3 || tatra hotrı ̄ mahādevı ̄ hotā kāmeśvaraḥ paraḥ | ubhau tau nityahotārau rakṣataḥ sakalaṃ jagat || 4 || [Eng. trans. in Tagare (ed.) 1984, Part V: 1271]. 169 Chapter 2 of this Part I deals with the features of the outward appearance of Tripurā. 170 See Gupta 2018: 69, note 18. 171 See … cidagnikuṇḍe devaiḥ ktaṃ svasvamāṃ sahomam uktvoktam … in Paṇsı́ k̄ ar (ed.) 1935: 29, and Eng. trans. in R. A. Sastry (ed.) 1976: 45–46. 172 It should be noted, however, that at another point of the text of the LU, while Lalitā is eulogized by the gods after having defeated Bhāṇḍāsura, she is said to be born out of the fire of consciusness (cidagnijā, in LU, 30, 31a). 173 The internal worship is an essential part of the Tantric pūjā, both in the private rite performed by the initiate devotee, and in the public temple ritual, where it is the ācār ya who devotes himself to the antaryāga, before performing the external worship of the cult image. 174 See TR, mk, 30, 12c–14: samāsādya tatra rātrau saikatı̄ṃ tripurātanum || 12cd || kāmeśvarāṅkanilayāṃ gandhapuṣpaphalādibhiḥ | samārādhya vidhānena mahadbhir upacārakaiḥ || 13 || stutvā stutigaṇair devı ̄m vaidikais tāntrikair api | vākṣair viśeṣato’bhyarcya gānair ntyaiḥ parikramaiḥ || 14 ||. 175 Se Ibidem, 30ab: atha sā dhyeyamātrātmarūpiṇı ̄ samajāyata | 30ab.

40  Myths and Rituals 176 For further references to private pūjās, see Synopsis, Chapter 1, and TR, jk, 1 [in Hulin (ed.) 1979: 30–31] where Sumedha and, respectively, Paraśurāma, meditate on the Goddess and worship her. 177 Some general information on the worship of Tripurā is provided in another passage, in verses 49–54 and 56 in the speech addressed by Tripurā to Lakṣmı̄ (TR, mk, 53, 46–59b), quoted and translated in Synopsis, Chapter 53. 178 In her chapter devoted to the Tantric pūjā – in Gupta, Hoens, Goudriaan 1979: 121–162 – Gupta gives a general and commented description of the Śākta pūjā (see Ibidem: 139–157), based on several early scriptural sources, including some exegetical works and compendia (for an indication of the sources consulted, see Ibidem: 122). 179 The account of the cult of Tripurā given by Khanna – in Khanna 1986 – is based on Śivānanda’s ritual handbooks Subhagodaya and Subhagodayavāsanā, as well as on his liturgical hymn Saubhāgyahdayastotra. According to Khanna the Śivānanda’s trilogy, together with other sources of the Hādimata school to which he belonged, provide a systematic exposition of the exoteric rite and the esoteric contemplation of the Śrı̄cakra; moreover, these texts preserve the traditional view of the earlier phase of the Śrı̄cakra pūjā, a view that is still prevalent among the devotees of Tripurā. 180 See Synopsis, Chapter 80. 181 It would be difficult to summarize this ritual here, let alone describe it adequately. For a comprehensive exposition of the Śrı̄cakra pūjā in Chapter 3 (pūjāsaṃ keta) of the YH, see the commented translation by Padoux in Padoux (ed.) 1994: 265–403, and the relevant portion of his Introduction, which includes a lucid explanation of the pūjā and its meaning (Ibidem: 71–89). 182 On the yoginı s̄ , see Padoux’s remarks in Padoux (ed.) 1994: 57, 83. 183 YH, 3, 194cd: tvam eva tāsāṃ rūpeṇa krı d̄ ̣ase visv́ amohinı ̄ || 194cd ||, Eng. trans. in Padoux with Jeanty (ed.) 2013: 157. 184 See TR, mk, 80, 40–42b: tatrādau sarvatobhadradevatāḥ kramato yajet | daśadikṣu ca dikpālān śṅkhalasu caturṣu ca || 40 || dharmādı ̄n madhyabhavane śvete’dharmādikān yajet | raktārdhabhavane pūr vāt prādakṣiṇyena pūjayet || 41 || asitāṅgādimithunaṃ mekhalāsu guṇatrayam | 42ab. 185 See Ibidem, 42c–43b: evaṃ sampūjya kalaśe pı t̄ ḥ ayajanapūr vakam || 42cd || vidhināvāhya tripurāṃ pūjayed upacārakaiḥ | 43ab. 186 See Bühnemann 1987, Bühnemann et al. 2007: 73ff and Bühnemann 2011. The following outline of the main characteristics of the bhadramaṇḍalas is based on information drawn from these three studies by Bühnemann. 187 The possible references of the three-coloured line and of the white and red mansions to parts of the sarvatobhadramaṇdạ la were suggested to me by G. Bühnemann in a personal communication of December 18, 2019. For a detailed description of the constituent parts of the sarvatobhadramaṇdạ la, see Bühnemann 1987: 44–47. 188 See Bühnemann 1987: 65, 67, a reference indicated by the author in the personal communication mentioned above. 189 For the indication of her sources, see Bühnemann et al. 2007: 74–75, 82–83. 190 This interpretation of cakranāyaka as the central male deity of the cakra, here the consort of Tripurā, was suggested to me by Shaman Hatley in a personal communication of January 8, 2020. Tripurā is called cakranāyikā, for instance, in YH, 3, 146: lokatrayasamddhı ̄nām hetutvāc cakranāiykā | tripurās ́rı r̄ mahesá n̄ i … || 146ac ||. 191 See TR, mk, 80, 45c–46: madhye ca tripurāṃ rātrau pūjayec cakranāyakam || 45cd || kalaśasya paścimataḥ sarvatobhadramaṇḍale | svayaṃ vā pūjayed ācār yeṇa vā kramavedinā || 46 ||. 192 See Ibidem, 47: pūjayitvā yathās ́āstraṃ kumārı ̄ṃ baṭukaṃ tathā | guruṃ suvāsinı ñ̄ cāpi brāhmanādı ̄n api kramāt || 47 ||.

 ̄ The Tripurārahasya and the S ŕ ıvidyā Tradition  41 193 This was suggested by Shaman Hatley in the personal communication mentioned above. 194 For a description of the suvāsinı ̄pūjā, see Gupta, Hoens, Goudriaan 1979: 154–155. On the vāmācāra Tantric practices in the earlier and later texts of the Tripurā tradition, see Padoux’s remarks in Padoux (ed.) 1994: 32–33 and notes 32, 33. 195 See TR, mk, 80, 51c–52: brāhmaṇan̄ āṃ ṣoḍaśakaṃ suvāsinyaṣtạ kaṃ tathā || 51cd || baṭukāṃ s ́ ca kumārı ̄ṃ s ́ ca vittaśātḥ yādivarjitaḥ | bhojayed bhakṣyabhojyādyair dakṣiṇad̄ yaiś ca toṣayet || 52 ||. 196 See LTS, 34cd: “One should begin by feeding brahmins equal in number to the sixteen Nityā [goddesses].” nityāṣoḍaśasaṃ khyākān viprān ādau tu bojayet, Eng. trans. in Sanderson 2017: 38–39; see also Sanderson’s relevant comments in Ibidem: 39–40, notes 70, 71, 73. 197 For a detailed summary of this part of Chapter 80, see Synopsis. 198 On the naimittika pūjā see Gupta, Hoens, Goudriaan 1979: 157–158; on the kāmya rites, see Ibidem: 159–161. 199 A comparison with the LU immediately highlights the shortcomings of the TR. The chapters of the LU dealing with the worship of Tripurā and of the Śrı̄cakra reveal in fact that even a Purāṇic text like the LU is much more elaborated and detailed than the TR, both in the description of the ritual practices and the discussion of their meanings. Some space is devoted, as in the TR, to the kāmya rites and their rewards (LU, 41, 34–64), but the text of the LU focuses mainly on the very subjects that are overlooked by the TR, namely: the japa of the ṣoḍaśak̄ ṣarı ̄ (LU, 41), the prescriptions relating to the various mudrās (LU, 42), the identifying meditation (dhyāna) on Lalitā, associated with various types of nyāsas (LU, 44). See Sanskrit text of LU, 41, 42, 44 in Sarma (ed.) 1983, and Eng. trans. in Tagare (ed.) 1984, Part V: 1324–1335, 1349–1364. 200 See Part II, Chapter 4.

2 The Iconic Form of the Goddess

In the Tripurā tradition the Goddess is mainly represented in aniconic form by the Śrı̄cakra, a fact that may explain the scarcity of her iconic representations. The most ancient images of Tripurā are probably some South Indian bronze sculptures dating from between the 10th and the 12th century CE. From the 12th century, cult images of Tripurasundarı̄ began to appear in South Indian temples, where her icons were endowed with the paśa (noose), aṅkuśa (goad), varada- (granting boons) and abhaya(dispelling fear) mudrās; these attributes, with bow and arrows sometimes replacing the varada- and abhaya-mudrās, are also mentioned in manuals of iconography, such as the Mantramahodadhi by Mahı̄dhara (1589).201 As for the evidence provided by the early textual sources of the tradition, a difference is to be noted between the NṢA and the YH: the NṢA, characterized by a ritualistic-magic outlook and abounding in practical ritual prescriptions, provides a detailed description of the outward appearance of Tripurā,202 as she should be mentally visualized during the internal worship; the YH instead, on account of its gnostic and esoteric perspective, does not provide a physical description of the Goddess, but focuses on her metaphysical features203 and on her aniconic form. In fact, the unity of the Goddess with her cakra is deemed so substantial that the Śrı̄cakra is said to be “the other body of the deity.”204 In commenting this formulation, Amṛtānanda205 cites first the description of the corporeal form of Tripurā given in the NṢA, and subsequently emphasizes the idea that the cakra is the body of the Goddess by referring to a statement made previously in the YH: “This is the form in which the supreme splendour abides embodied as the Śrı̄cakra, surrounded by the sparkling waves of her multitudinous energies.”206 As Padoux remarks, the use of the term vapus (body) is also suggestive of the Goddess’s wondrous appearance and her beautiful figure.207 Hence, in the YH, the aniconic form of Tripurā also embodies her handsome corporeal shape. The mk of the TR provides several descriptions of the physical aspect of Tripurā, and the beauty of her body is described, from head to toe or vice versa, in poetic language that is rich in figures of speech expressed through long and complex compounds. Besides their literary value, these DOI: 10.4324/9780429297380-4

The Iconic Form of the Goddess  43 accounts of Tripurā’s wondrous appearance – which recall the portion of the SL devoted to the eulogy of the Goddess’s beauty208 – are significant also from a theological point of view, insofar as they gain meaning and import within the theology of grace and devotion advocated in the work. The idea is expressed on several occasions that, out of her gracious disposition towards her devotees – who may be both human beings and gods – the Goddess reveals herself in a visible, corporeal form in which she may be contemplated and worshipped. At the beginning of the mk, in a hymn in praise of Bālā, is the statement: “Under the impulse of compassion you manifest yourself to your devotees in this way, with a body limited by hands, feet, and so on.”209 The idea that the Goddess, who cannot be comprehended in her transcendent, supreme form, may be approached in the concrete form that she takes for the salvation of her devotees, is emphasized in one of the hymns dedicated to Tripurā: O faultless one, by virtue of [your] great compassion towards the devotees who bow [before you], you [accord them] the grace of a path [which is] easily accessible to [their] mind, word, and eyes. O mother intent upon the salvation of the world, you take the form in which you are meditated on by one or the other creature devoted to the veneration of your lotus-like feet. [119] … O supreme Śivā, what wonder [is produced by the fact that] you, endowed with the power of the great māyā, take manifold corporeal forms to accord the fruits of [their] desires to the beings who have resorted to you [for refuge]? [120cd]210 And further on: In order to rescue these beings you take manifold, outward, gross form[s] (sthūlarūpa), intelligible to [their] eyes. [24cd] … As the head [is the uppermost part] for the bodies, so the most important among these many forms [of yours] is the figure endowed with bow, arrows, noose, and goad. [For] those who adore that form of Tripurā, [that] is always the best one. [26]211 These and other similar verses reveal the impact of bhakti on the theology of the TR. Before discussing the passages of the TR dealing with the corporeal form of the Goddess, it is worth quoting in full the NṢA extract mentioned above. It is considered to be the earliest-known description of the outward appearance of Tripurā and the primary source of inspiration for the author(s) of the TR. The NṢA reads: … the Goddess resembling a lotus, red [as] the beams of the newly risen sun, similar to a blossom of China rose [and] a blossom on a

44  Myths and Rituals pomegranate tree, [130] looking like the redness of a lotus, like water [mixed with] saffron, adorned with a hair net of small bells and a glittering diadem of rubies; [131] the flower bud of her curved forehead [is] like a dark swarm of bees, her round lotus-like face [is] of a fresh red colour, [132] she has a soft band on her curved, half moon-like forehead, ́ her lovely brow is shaped as the bow of Siva, [she is the] supreme Lady; [133] her eyes [are] glancing from side to side playfully, rejoicing in happiness; her golden earrings [are] far spreading with the intensity of their sparkling lustre; [134] the fullness of her round beautiful cheeks surpasses the circle of the immortal moon, her straight nose [is like] a line measuring every action; [135] [she is] equal to ambrosia, with her lips crimson like a bimba fruit [or] a red flower bud, the loveliness of her smile overpowers the sweetness of an ocean of nectar; [136] beautified by a chin endowed with unparalleled qualities, she has folds in her neck like a spiral shell, [she is] large-eyed, with voluptuous arms as soft as lotus fibres; [137] her lotus-like hands [are] tender and shaped like petals of red lotuses, the firmament is pervaded by the moonlight of the fingernails of her lotus-like hands; [138] her high breasts [are adorned] with a string of pearls, [she is] beautified by her belly [endowed] with three undulating folds; [139] adorned with her navel looking like a whirl of currents of beauty, her large and handsome hips [are] fastened by a girdle made of invaluable gems; [140] the line of hair [over her] bimbalike round buttocks is like a precious elephant goad; [she is] the lady whose delicate thighs [are like] quivering stems of plantain trees, [141] adorned with shanks comparable to the beauty of plantain trees; her lotus-like feet are not grazed by the gems on the head of the bowing Brahmā; [142] [she is] brilliant with a flow of decorations resembling a hundred moons, she has the colour of pomegranate fruit and China rose, whose vermilion surpasses redness; [143] with a garment of red cloth, holding up in her hands the noose and the goad, sitting upon a red flower and adorned with red ornaments, [144] [she is] four-armed, three-eyed, bearing the bow with five arrows, with her mouth full of betel mixed with camphor and cinnamon, [145] radiant with her tall body, from her moon-like toenails to her sun-like fingers; her ruddy figure [shows] the unrestrained lust of an elephant [in rut], [146] [she is] richly and suitably dressed for all amorous enterprises, adorned with every ornament; causing joy in living beings, giving pleasure to living beings, [147] attracting living beings; appearing as the origin of the world, made of all mantras, beautiful Goddess [granting] all happiness, [148] made of all good fortune, eternal, rejoicing in supreme felicity. [149ab]212 The principal iconographical traits of Tripurā are already present in this early description: she is radiant, red-hued, and red-clothed, shining with jewels, with three eyes and four hands bearing noose, goad, bow, and five arrows. The same attributes are also mentioned in the YH: “Shining, she holds the noose made of the energy of will, the hook which is [energy

The Iconic Form of the Goddess  45 of] knowledge, the bow and the arrows made of energy of action.”213 In his commentary Amṛtānanda explains that the energy of will (icchās ́akti) is represented by the noose because she causes the bondage of beings, while the energy of knowledge (jñānaśakti) is represented by the goad because she controls the elephant of thought, and the energy of action (kriyās ́akti) is represented by bow and arrows because her function is to associate the bow of thought with the arrows of the senses.214 However, in the extract from the NṢA, which prescribes how Tripurā should be visualized in meditation, little space is devoted to her iconographical characteristics, and the text consists mostly of a poetic eulogy of the beauty of her divine body, which is described from head to toe by means of a series of rich metaphors.215 Tripurā appears as a charming, seductive maiden, whose handsomeness conforms to the canons of feminine beauty established by the conventions of classical kāvya literature. Finally (vv. 147–149b), elements are added to the portrayal of Tripurā which reveal some essential aspects of her identity: she is associated with love (śṛnġ āra), with the term śṛnġ āra, indicating erotic love and amorous plays, being also suggestive of aesthetic experience (śṛnġ ārarasa);216 her association with erotic love is further emphasized by the bow and the five arrows, attributes which she shares with Kāmadeva217 and which, in most texts of her tradition, replace the varada- and abhaya-mudrās. She is said to bestow saubhāgya, happiness, good fortune, prosperity, to all beings; accordingly, her tradition is also called subhāgyasaṃ pradāya. There are three passages in the mk of the TR which may be usefully compared to the above extract from the NṢA. These describe, respectively: the manifestation of Tripurā before Kāma, in the form in which she was meditated (dyātarūpā) by the god of love;218 her apparition before the gods, who invoked her protection against the demons;219 her manifestation before the gods, as she rose from the sacrificial fire of Consciousness burning in the fire-pit.220 In these passages Tripurā is depicted with the same poetic language used in the NṢA, and is represented with the same iconographical traits, with the addition of the crescent moon adorning her head (in the first and second passage), and the specification (in the first passage) that her bow and arrows are, like those of Kāmadeva, a sugarcane bow (puṇḍracāpa) and flower-arrows (puṣpabāṇa).221 The same attributes are also endowed upon Lalitā, when she makes her first appearance in the LU;222 moreover, she is described – just as in the NṢA and the TR – as being radiant with beauty, red-hued, red-clothed, adorned with jewels, holding the noose, the goad, the sugarcane bow, and the five arrows, and – again just as in the NṢA – she is said to be the abode of the śṛṅgārarasa.223 Tripurā’s iconographical traits are therefore shared by Lalitā, as well as by Kāmākṣı,̄ both local goddesses of Kāñcı̄, who came to be identified with Tripurā.224 It is worth mentioning that in the episode of the mk quoted above,225 when Tripurā appears before Kāma, he pays homage to her by reciting a hymn of praise226 in which she is addressed as Kāmeśvarı̄ (v. 17), Tripurā (v. 19), Lalitā (v. 21) and Kāmākṣı ̄ (v. 24).

46  Myths and Rituals The iconography of these goddesses may help understand their mutual relationships within the traditions to which they belong. In this regard, a passage in the LU brings to the fore the complex background from which the figure of the four-armed Tripurā emerged. Here, a primordial, unsurpassed (anuttarā) Goddess is said to be the source of three goddesses: the shining, white Parā, two-armed, showing the yogamudrā and holding a book; the radiant, red Parāparā, moon-crowned, two-armed, holding a lotus in her right hand and resting the left on her thigh; the red Aparā, who is the four-armed Tripurā, bearing the noose, goad, sugarcane bow, and five arrows. Aparā is said to be Lalitā who manifested in Kāñcı̄ as Kāmākṣı.̄ 227 Sanderson remarks that the LU, which celebrates the local cult of the South Indian goddess Lalitā/Kāmākṣı,̄ has incorporated the triadic-tetradic pattern of the Trika, where the three goddesses Parā, Parāparā and Aparā originate from a transcendent deity, and in so doing has superimposed its local goddesses upon the pantheon of the Trika.228 Accordingly, in the two-armed Parāparā, who holds a lotus, it is possible to recognize the two-armed Mahālakṣmı̄, also holding a lotus, who dwells in the cave located in the centre of the Kāmākṣı ̄ temple in Kāñcı̄.229 As for the identity of Aparā and Tripurā/Lalitā/Kāmākṣı,̄ the subordinate position assigned to the latter, who are equated with the lowest Aparā, might seem incongruous in a text that celebrates Lalitā; but Sanderson remarks that this is counterbalanced by the fact that in the PKS, a text of the Tripurā tradition, the true heart of Lalitā is said to be Parā.230 This complex overlapping of divine figures, which is also shown by their shared iconographical traits, is further enhanced in the TR, where Tripurā is closely associated with the four-armed Bālā, who bears a rosary and a book and shows the abhaya- and varada-mudrās.231 Since Bālā, as a goddess who grants learning and eloquence, has a deep affinity with both the nonsectarian Sarasvatı̄ and the goddess Parā of the Trika, her association with Tripurā shows how the figure of Tripurā incorporates not only the local goddesses Lalitā and Kāmākṣı,̄ but also the Supreme Goddess of the Trika pantheon and goddesses of the non-sectarian religion such as Sarasvatı̄, not to mention Lakṣmı̄.232 Besides the traits characterizing the figures of the four-armed Tripurā and of her kindred goddesses, Tripurā also takes on other outward appearances in the mk. In an account of creation233 it is said that Śiva, Viṣṇu and Brahmā were manifested by Tripurā as constituted of her will, knowledge, and action (icchā, jñāna, kriyā), respectively; after the Goddess had appointed the three gods to their cosmic functions, she appeared before them in this composite form: Then the gracious, supreme, great Goddess appeared as threecoloured, with twelve arms, ten faces, twenty-five eyes, standing in her great splendour, pervading the universe. [111c–112] [She was showing the gestures granting] boons and protection, holding the water pot, the rosary of beads, the disc, the conch, the mace, the lotus, the deer,

The Iconic Form of the Goddess  47 the trident, the axe, and the skull; appearing in the form of the trimūrti, [yet] she [was] one. [113–114b]234 The attributes held by Tripurā in her twelve hands are those pertaining to the gods of the trimūrti: the water pot (kamaṇḍalu), the rosary (akṣamālā) and the gestures of granting boons and protection are peculiar to Brahmā;235 the disc (sudarśana), conch (śaṅkha), mace (gadā) and lotus (paṅ­ kajāta) belong to Viṣṇu;236 the deer (mṛga) trident (śūla), axe (paraśu) and skull (kapāla) are counted among the attributes of Śiva.237 Some of these attributes are immediately recognizable as characteristic of one or the other of the three gods; however, given the great variety of their respective iconographical representations, these three groups of attributes relate to specific images of these gods, images that the author(s) of the TR might have had in mind when describing Tripurā’s appearance here. As for her being three-coloured, this certainly refers to the colours of the three gods, whereas the numbers of her faces and eyes seem somehow incongruous, and are thus difficult to account for: in fact, neither ten, the number of her faces, nor twenty-five, the number of her eyes, are multiples of three. This form of Tripurā conveys the idea of her supremacy over the great gods of the trimūrti, whose attributes and powers are all incorporated into her composite figure. The significance of this image consists in the fact that it points to a dimension of Tripurā that is beyond her identity of supreme Goddess of a Tantric tradition; by relating her to the major deities of the Purāṇic, popular religion, it is once more evident how both Tantric and Purāṇic components are blended in the text of the TR. The multifaceted character of Tripurā is also highlighted in an episode of the mk, in which she appears before the gods to settle a dispute about who ought to be considered the chief among them.238 This manifestation of the Goddess is preceded and followed by a series of hymns of praise239 recited by the gods, in which she is celebrated as the source of the powers, not only of the gods of the trimūrti, but also of Iś̄ vara and Sadāsí va, who are appointed to the functions of concealment and grace. As stated in the hymn dedicated to her by Śiva: You alone [are the function of] the manifestation in Vidhi, [that of] the maintenance in the one whose resting place is the Lord of the serpents; in me, Śiva, [you are the function of] the reabsorption and in Iś̄ a [that of] the concealment of the qualities. [You are] the function of grace in the highest Śiva [and] in the supreme brahman you are present yourself as the supreme Śivā, by nature consisting of the light of Consciousness. [26]240 The pre-eminence of Tripurā is thus extended to the “pañcamūrti”, that includes Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Rudra (Śiva), Iś̄ vara and Sadāsí va. When Tripurā appears before the gods in all her majestic, glorious beauty,241 her aspect is gold-hued, red-clothed, three-eyed, crowned by the digit of the moon, and endowed with eighteen hands

48  Myths and Rituals bearing the bow, the noose, the bell, the hourglass shaped drum, the bowl of gems, the shield, the rosary, the lotus, the book, the hand gesture of consciousness (cinmudrā), the conch, the disc, the sword, the trident, the axe, the mace, the elephant goad, and the arrows.[36–37]242 Such abundance and such variety of attributes immediately recall the description of the eighteen-armed Durgā in the Devı ̄māhātmya (DM), where the Goddess, arisen from a mass of splendour emanated by the assembled gods, is provided by them with weapons produced out of their own weapons. Accordingly, Śiva gives her his trident (śūla), Kṛsn ̣ ̣a his disc (cakra), Varuṇa his conch (śaṅkha) and noose (pās ́a), Agni his spear (s ́akti), Vāyu his bow (cāpa) and arrows (bāṇa), Indra his thunderbolt (vajra) and bell (ghaṇtạ )̄ , Yama his staff (daṇḍa), Prajapati his rosary (akṣamālā), Brahmā his water pot (kamaṇḍalu), Kāla (Time) his sword (khadga) and shield (carma), Viśvakarman his axe (paraśu), the Ocean his lotus (paṅkaja), Himavān his lion (siṃ ha) as her vehicle, Kubera his drinking vessel (pānapatra) and Śeṣa his necklace of serpents (nagahāra).243 A comparison of the attributes/weapons held by Tripurā with those given to Durgā, shows that many (marked in bold in the table below) occur in both texts: TR, mk, 8, 36–37

DM, 2, 20–31

Bow, noose, bell, hourglass-shaped drum, bowl of gems, shield, rosary, lotus, book, cinmudrā, conch, disc, sword, trident, axe, mace, goad, arrows

Trident, disc, conch, noose, spear, bow, arrows, thunderbolt, bell, staff, rosary, water pot, sword, shield, axe, lotus, drinking vessel, necklace of serpents

Among those attributes mentioned only in the TR, the cinmudrā and the book are particularly significant. In a passage of the Nityotsava (NU) – a paddhati based on the PKS, composed by Bhāskararāya’s disciple Umānandanātha in 1745 – it is explained that the cinmudrā shown by the goddess Parā with her right hand destroys duality in the minds of her devotees, while the book held in her left hand symbolizes the supreme scripture that provides the means of attaining the liberated condition of full I-ness (pūrṇah̄ antā).244 These attributes also occur in the description of Parā in the passage of the LU (39, 9–10) mentioned above, where the yogamudrā stands for the cinmudrā, as well as in a passage of the Pāñcarātra AS, where the bodhamudrā stands for the cinmudrā.245 The cinmudrā and the book are also counted among the attributes held by the four-armed teaching Śiva in his iconographical representation as Dakṣiṇāmūrti (South-facing Form).246 These two attributes thus connect Tripurā with Parā again, as well as with Śiva, whose other common attribute is the ḍamaru (hourglass-shaped drum). As for the bowl of gems and the goad, the first may symbolize the quality of granting prosperity, attributed to

The Iconic Form of the Goddess  49 Tripurā on account of her association with Lakṣmı̄, while the second is typical of Tripurā’s four-armed form. Despite these few discrepancies between the series of attributes/weapons held by Tripurā and Durgā, the similarity of their appearance, and their endowment with the powers of all the gods, reveal their common function of saviour, triumphing over the evil embodied by the demons. In fact, in the mythical narratives of the mk there are several typical situations in which the gods entreat the Goddess to protect them and the worlds against the demons, and it is always Tripurā who eventually defeats the demons, through the agency of goddesses who are none other than her own shares. Accordingly, it is recounted that Tripurā descends to earth, reborn as the daughter of Nanda, and empowers Kṛsn ̣ ạ to kill the demon Kaṃ sa;247 Kātyāyanı̄, who ́ fights against the demons Sumbha and Niśumbha,248 and Caṇdị kā, who defeats these demons, are both said to be partial incarnations (aṃ s ́āvatāra, 44, 7a) of Tripurā;249 it is Tripurā who, summoned by the gods, gives birth to Kālı̄ and orders her to slay the demons known as Kālakhañjas;250 Durgā, the slayer of the buffalo demon, is said to have arisen as a share of Tripurā (tripurāṃ s ́asamudbhūtā, 45, 2a).251 Finally, it is Tripurā who, manifesting as Lalitā – the fullest among her forms – triumphs over the demon Bhaṇdạ , after a fight the account of which occupies most of the LM.252 These episodes of the mk contain retellings of well-known Purāṇic myths in which the figure of Tripurā is introduced and given a key role. She intervenes in narratives in which the various goddesses who act as protagonists are none other than her own emanations. Tripurā is thus made to perform, indirectly, the function of warrior/saviour goddess, which generally pertains to Durgā and her kindred goddesses. Taking on the appearance of a Purāṇic goddess, Tripurā absorbs and subsumes all Purāṇic heroic goddesses. Her supremacy, which is explicitly asserted in the text of the mk,253 is also symbolized, in the figure of the eighteen-armed Tripurā, by the manifold nature of the attributes and weapons she holds in her hands.

Notes 201 For this information, see Padoux (ed.) 1994: 74, 32, 72 and note 134. 202 See NṢA, 1, 130–149b, quoted, translated and commented below. 203 See Padoux (ed.) 1994: 71. On the difference of spirit and attitude between NṢA and YH, see Ibidem: 25–27. 204 YH, 2, 56d: devatāyāḥ paraṃ vapuḥ || 56d ||, Eng. trans. in Padoux with Jeanty (ed.) 2013: 81. 205 See Amtānanda’s Dı ̄pikā and Padoux’s explanations in Padoux (ed.) 1994: 238–239 and notes 222, 223. 206 YH, 1, 55: evaṃ rūpaṃ paraṃ tejaḥ śrı ̄cakravapuṣa ̄ sthitam | tadı ̄yaśaktinikarasphurad­ur̄ misamāvtam || 55 ||, Eng. trans. in Padoux with Jeanty (ed.) 2013: 45. 207 See Padoux (ed.) 1994: 238, note 222. 208 See SL, 42–91. 209 TR, mk, 1, 68cd: tathābhūtāyās te parimitakarāṅghryādivapuṣa ̄ vilāso bhakteṣu prabhavati kpāyantraṇavaśat̄ || 68cd ||.

50  Myths and Rituals 210 TR, mk, 10, 119, 120cd: natānāṃ bhaktānām atikaruṇayānugrahaparā manovāṅne­trāṇam ̄ ̣ sulabhagatihetos tvam anaghe | yathā dhyātā tais taiḥ padanalinasevāparajanais tathā rūpaṃ dhatse janani jagaduddhāraṇapare || 119 || ... mahāmāyās ́akteḥ śritajanasamı ̄hāphalavidhau kiyaccitraṃ nānāvidhatanudhtis te paraśive || 120cd ||. 211 TR, mk, 30, 24cd, 26: janān tān samuddhartum akṣav̄ agamyaṃ bahiḥ sthūlarūpaṃ vibhinnaṃ bibharṣi || 24cd || … tathā tāsu mūrtiṣv anekāsu mukhyā dhanurbāṇapā­ śan̄ ̇kuśāḍhyaiva mūrtiḥ | śarı ̄reṣu mūrdheva ye tāṃ bhajeyur janās traipurı ̄ṃ mūrtim atyuttamāste || 26 ||. 212 NṢA, 1, 130–149b: tataḥ padmanibhāṃ devı ̄ṃ bālārkakiraṇar̄ uṇam ̄ | japāku­ sumasaṃ kās ́āṃ dādị mı ̄kusumopamām || 130 || padmarāgapratı ̄kās ́āṃ kuṅku­modak­a-­­ saṃ nibhām | sphuranmukuṭamānị kyakiṅkiṇı ̄jālamaṇdị tām || 131 || kālālikulasaṃ ­ kāsá kuṭilālakapallavām | pratyagrāruṇasaṃ kāsá vadanāmbhojamaṇdạ lām || 132 || kiñ­ cidardhendukuṭilalalāt ̣amdupaṭṭikām | pinākidhanurākārasubhruvaṃ para­meśvarı ̄m || 133 || ānandamuditollolalı ̄lāndolitalocanām | sphuranmayūkhasaṃ ghātavitatasvarṇakuṇdạ lām || 134 || sugaṇdạ maṇdạ lābhogajitendvamtamaṇdạ lām | viśvakarmādinirmānạ sūtrasuspaṣt ̣anāsikām || 135 || tāmravidrumabimbābharaktoṣṭhı̄m amtopamām | smitamādhuryavijitamādhur­ yarasasāgarām || 136 || anaupamyaguṇopetacibukoddeśaśobhitām | kambugrı̄vāṃ viśālākṣı̄m mṇālalalitair bhujaiḥ || 137 || raktotpaladalākārasukumārakarāmbujām | karāmbujanakhajyotsnāvitānitanabhastalām || 138 || muktāhāralatopetasamunna­ tapayodharām | trivalı̄valanāyuktamadhyadeśasuśobhitām || 139 || lāvaṇyasaridāva­ r­tākāranābhivibhūṣitām | anarghyaratnaghaṭitakāñcı̄yuktanitambinı̄m || 140 || ni­tambabimbadviradaromarājivarānk̇ uśam ̄ | kadalı̄lalitastambhasukumārorumı̄sv́ arı̄m || 141 || lāvaṇyakadalı̄tulyajaṅghāyugalamaṇḍitām | namadbrahmaśiroratnanir­ ghṣṭacaraṇāmbujām || 142 || śı̄tāṃśuśatasaṃkāśakāntisantānahāsinı̄m | lauhityajitasindūrajapādāḍimarāgiṇı̄m || 143 || raktavastraparı̄dhānāṃ pāśāṅkuśakarodyatām | raktapuṣpaniviṣtạ m ̄ ̣ tu raktābharaṇamaṇdị tām || 144 || caturbhujāṃ trinetrāṃ tu pañcabānạ dhanurdharāṃ | karpūraśakalonmiśratāmbūlāpūritānanām || 145 || tanu­dı̄rg­hānġ ulı̄bhāsvannakhacandravirājitām | mahāmgamadoddāmakuṅku­māruṇavi-­ grahām || 146 || sarvaśṅgāraveṣāḍhyāṃ sarvālaṅkārabhūṣitām | jagadāhlādajananı̄ṃ jagadrañjanakārikām || 147 || jagadākarṣaṇakarı̄ṃ jagatkāraṇarūpiṇı̄m | sarvamantramayı̄ṃ devı̄ṃ sarvasaubhāgyasundarı̄m || 148 || sarvalakṣmı̄mayı̄ṃ nityāṃ paramānandananditām | 149ab. 213 YH, 1, 53: icchās ́aktimayaṃ pās ́am aṅkuśaṃ jñānarūpiṇam | kriyās ́aktimaye bānạ dhanuṣı ̄ dadhadujjvalam || 53 ||, Eng. trans. in Padoux with Jeanty (ed.) 2013: 44. 214 See Padoux (ed.) 1994: 149–150. It is worth mentioning other sources in which Tripurā is represented with these iconographical traits. Sivānanda’s paddhati Subhagodaya reads: “I resort to the energy of Śiva, three-eyed, fourarmed, holding a noose, a goad, a bow and arrows, shining like the orb of the rising sun.” bālārkamaṇḍalābhāsāṃ caturbāhāṃ trilocanām | pās ́āṅkuśau s ́ārāṃ ś cāpaṃ dhārayantı ̄ṃ sí vāṃ s ́raye || 37 || (Eng. trans. in Khanna 1986: 98, Sanskrit text ed. by Khanna in Ibidem: 341). The KKV by Puṇyānanda reads: She [who is] Devı̄ Tripurasundarı̄ abides in the bindu-maya-cakra. [There] She is seated in the lap of Kāmeśvara, a digit of the moon is placed by Her as an adornment on Her forehead. She holds in Her hands the noose, the goad, the sugarcane bow and the five flowery arrows. She is red like the rising sun. The Moon, the Sun and the Fire are Her three eyes. āsinā bindumaye cakre sā tripurasundarı ̄devı ̄| kāmeśvarāṅkanilayā kalayā candrasya kalpitottaṁsā || 37 || pās ́āṅkuśekṣucāpaprasūnaśara pañcakāñcitasvakarā | bālāruṇar̄ uṇan̄ ̇gı ̄ śas ́ibhānuks ́ānulocanatritayā || 38 || [Eng. trans. and Skt. text ed. by Avalon (Woodroffe) in Woodroffe (ed.) 1971: 214]. In the LSN are five epithets referring to the four-armed goddess and her attributes: 7 “Endowed

The Iconic Form of the Goddess  51 with four arms” (caturbāhusamanvitā), 8 “Holding the noose of desire” (rāgas­va­ rūpapāsá d̄ ̣hyā), 9 “Shining with the elephant hook of both wrath and worldly knowledge” (krodhākārāṅkuśojjvalā), 10 “Armed with the sugarcane bow of mind” (manorūpekṣukāṇdā), 11 “Having the arrows of the five subtle elements” (pañcatanmātrasāyakā) [LSN, 2, 2b–3b, Eng. trans. in R. A. Sastry (ed.) 1976: 47–48; see also Bhaskararāya’s abridged commentary on these epithets in Ibidem: 47–49]. In SL, 7, the Goddess has the same attributes. These sources are also quoted by Khanna in Khanna 1986: 364, note 24. 215 A depiction of the handsome body of the Goddess is given in a series of epithets in the LSN [6 and 12–51 in LSN, 2, 2a, 3c–21b, see R. A. Sastry (ed.) 1976: 46–47, 49–56; see also Bhaskararāya’s abridged commentary on these epithets in Ibidem). The beauty of the various body parts of the Goddess is also extolled in SL, 42–91 [see Brown (ed.) 1958: 64–84]. These sources are also quoted by Khanna in Khanna 1986: 363, note 23. 216 See Gupta’s relevant remark in Gupta 2018: 66. 217 In a recent article, A. Golovkova quotes some verses from the unpublished Nityākaula (5, 38–43), a source of the Nityā tradition and hence earlier than the NṢA, in which the Goddess is visualized as red-coloured, four-armed, holding the goad, noose, bow, and flowery arrows. Golovkova remarks that, whereas in the later Tripurā tradition the consort of Tripursundarı̄ is Śiva Kāmeśvara, in the early Nityā tradition Kāmadeva was worshipped as the consort of the principal Goddess; she suggests that it is because of this early connection with Kāmadeva that the attributes of the god of love have been preserved in the later iconography of Tripurā (see Golovkova 2020). 218 See Synopsis, Chapter 24. The relevant passage is TR, mk, 25, 1–12b, quoted and translated in Synopsis, Chapter 25. 219 See TR, mk, 44, 33–40b, quoted and translated in Synopsis, Chapter 44. 220 See TR, mk, 51, 39–62, quoted and translated in Synopsis, Chapter 51. 221 It is also worth quoting the last verse of the last stotra dedicated to Tripurā in the mk: Once again here we (the gods) bow down before [your] playful, charming form which, red saffron hued, curved under the weight of your breasts, adorned with the digit of the moon’s disc, bears the goad, the bow, the arrows, and the noose. [83] TR, mk, 51, 83: kuṅkumaśoṇaṃ gurukucanamraṃ candrakalādḥ yaṃ sulalitarūpam | sṇiśaracāpān pās ́aṃ bibhrad vayam iha bhūyaḥ praṇamāmas tat || 83 ||. 222 See LU, 10, 89, quoted above. 223 See LU, 12, 70c–73, quoted above. 224 The relationships among these divine figures are extensively discussed in Part I, Chapter 3. 225 See Part I, Chapter 1. 226 See the Auspicious Hymn Containing Nine Jewels (TR, mk, 25, 17–25), quoted and translated in Synopsis, Chapter 25. 227 See LU, 39, 9–14b, also quoted, translated, and commented by Sanderson in Sanderson 1990: 53–54. 228 See Sanderson 1990: 54. 229 See LU, 40, 103ac, 105: madhye kāñcı ̄purasya tvaṃ kandarākāsá madhyagam | kāmakoṣtḥ aṃ … 103ac … mahālakṣmı ̄svarūpeṇa dvibhujā padmadhāriṇı ̄ | cakreśvarı ̄ mahārājñı ̄ hy adśyā sthūlacakṣuṣam ̄ || 105 ||, see also the Eng. trans. of the whole passage (103–107) in Tagare (ed.) 1984, Part V: 1320–1321. 230 For the textual reference, see Sanderson 1990: 33 and note 13. 231 See TR, mk, 1, 56c–59b, quoted, translated and discussed in Part II, Chapter 3. 232 See Part I, Chapter 1. 233 See Synopsis, Chapter 10.

52  Myths and Rituals 234 TR, mk, 10, 111c–114b: tadā prasannā paramā prādurbhūtā maheśvarı ̄ || 111cd || trivarṇa ̄ dvādaśabhujā daśavaktrā mahāprabhā | pañcaviṃ śatinetrādḥ yā brahmānḍ ạ ṃ vyāpya saṃ sthitā || 112 || kamaṇdạ luṃ svakṣamālāṃ varaṃ trānạ ṃ sudarśanaṃ | śaṅkhaṃ gadāṃ paṅkajātaṃ mgaṃ śūlaṃ paraśvadham || 113 || kapālaṃ dhārayantı ̄ sā trimūrtyekasvarūpiṇı ̄ | 114ab. 235 Brahmā is, for instance, represented with these attributes in a bronze image mentioned by Rao, who considers it to have been probably used in festivals and processions as utsava-vigraha [see Rao 1971, Vol. II, Part II: 511 and Plate CXLII]. 236 Viṣnu ̣ in the form of Trivikrama bears these attributes in a stone statuette from Bengal-Orissa, mentioned by Rao [see Ibidem, Vol. I, Part I: 99–100 and Plate XXI]; the same attributes are carried by Viṣnu ̣ as Vāsudeva, seated upon Ā diśeṣa, in a sculpture on a pillar of the Varadarājapperumāl temple in Tamil Nadu [see Ibidem: 107–108 and Plate XXVIII]; see also a similar, recent, ivory image of the Trivandrum school, mentioned by Rao [Ibidem and Plate XXIX, fig. 1]. 237 Rao mentions two South Indian sculptures representing Kālārimūrti, Śiva as enemy of the god of Death Yama, where Śiva carries these attributes [see Ibidem, Vol. II, Part I: 162–163, Plate XXXV, Fig. 2, Plate XXXVI, Fig. 1]. 238 See Synopsis, Chapters 7–9. 239 See the I, II, III, IV, V Hymns in Praise of Tripurā, quoted, translated and annotated in Synopsis, Chapters 8–9. 240 TR, mk,  8, 26: tvam eva visti vidhau sthitir ahı ̄śaparyaṅkake mayi pralayanaṃ śive guṇavilāpanā ceśake | anugrahaktiḥ śive paratare parabrahmani sthitā paraśivātmanā sahajacitprakās ́ātmikā || 26 ||. 241 See TR, mk, 8, 32–45, quoted and translated in Synopsis, Chapter 8. 242 TR, mk, 8, 36–37: dhanuḥ pās ́am tathā ghaṇtạ m ̄ ̣ ḍamaruṃ ratnapātrakam | kheṭakaṃ japamālāñ ca paṅkajaṃ pustakaṃ tathā || 36 || cinmudrāṃ śaṅkhacakrau ca khadgaṃ śūlaṃ paraśvadham | gadāṃ sṇiṃ śarān hastair bibhrāṇa ̄ pallavāruṇaiḥ || 37 ||. 243 See DM, 2, 20–31. 244 This passage is quoted and translated by Sanderson in Sanderson 1990: 33–34 and note 14. 245 This passage is quoted by Sanderson in Sanderson 1990: 34 and note 16. 246 See Bakker 2004: 131 and 142, note 55, where the author quotes several studies mentioning images classified as Śiva Dakṣiṇāmūrti. See also Rao 1971, Vol. II, Part I: 281–282 and Plates LXXII, Figs. 1, 2, Plate LXXIII, Plate LXXIV, fig. 1. For further references to this form of Śiva, see also the entry dakṣiṇam ̄ ūrti in TAK III 2013: 141–142, 2. 247 See Synopsis, end of Chapter 40. 248 See Synopsis, Chapter 41. 249 See Synopsis, Chapters 42–43 and beginning of Chapter 44. 250 See Synopsis, Chapter 44. 251 See Synopsis, Chapters 45–46. 252 See Synopsis, beginnings of Chapters 51–52, and Chapters 60ff. 253 See Synopsis, beginning and end of Chapter 10, and TR, mk, 59, 104–107b, quoted and translated in Synopsis, Chapter 59.

3 Tripurā as Kāmākṣı ̄ and Lalitā

Tripurā and Kāma: Kāmākṣı ̄ By assuming her visible, corporeal form (sthūlarūpa), Tripurā also takes on the appearance of a mythical figure whose identity is revealed, in the narration of the mk, through the account of her deeds, particularly those concerning her relationship with Kāmadeva. Her connection with the god of love is so crucial that, in the opening Invocation, Tripurā is celebrated as she who restored Kāma to life.254 The close association between Tripurā and Kāma is hardly surprising, since the Tripurā tradition developed out of the early Śākta tradition which centred on the cult of the Nityās, the goddesses worshipped to attain success in love. This distinctive characteristic of the Nityā cult seems also to have survived in the TR where, in the episodes concerning Tripurā and Kāma, and presenting original variants of the Purāṇic myths related to this god, the aspect of Tripurā as goddess of love is brought to the fore. The account of Kāma’s origin in the mk occurs at the point in which the gods appeal to Lakṣmı̄ to induce human beings to gratify them by their sacrificial offerings.255 The gods invoke Lakṣmı̄ by reciting a stotra in which – like Tripurā – she is said to be endowed with the powers of the great gods of the trimūrti.256 To succour the gods, Lakṣmı̄ resolves to arouse in human beings the desires which might prompt them to perform the sacrifices aimed at their fulfilment. Hence, she generates Kāma, the god of desire, who comes into existence from her mind as a child of heavenly splendour.257 Kāma is described thus: A five-year-old boy, [5d] resembling a lotus filament, with eyes similar to lotus petals, a face like a blown lotus, lips like a ripe bimba fruit, [3] cheeks illuminated by his earrings, adorned with a diadem of gems, with a tender body, long arms, his hips swathed in a shining yellow cloth, [4] carrying a flashing bow in his left hand [and] five arrows in his right hand, knitting his brows. [5ac]258 In this description of Kāma’s first appearance, the similes comparing his figure, eyes and face to lotuses relate him immediately to his begetter, DOI: 10.4324/9780429297380-5

54  Myths and Rituals Lakṣmı̄, some of whose epithets are Padmā, “lotus-eyed, dwelling in the lotus, with a lotus in [her] hand.”259 Given the close affinity, or rather, the identification of Lakṣmı̄ with Tripurā260 – suggested also by the verse quoted above – it is implicit in Kāma’s birth from Lakṣmı̄ that he originates from Tripurā. However, in several well-known Purāṇic versions of the myth, the origin of Kāma is instead ascribed to Brahmā. In the Kālikāpurāṇa (KāPur), Kāma arises from the mind of Brahmā,261 appearing as a handsome young man, endowed with a bow and five flower-arrows, a fish on his ensign and a makara (sea monster) as his vehicle; he questions Brahmā about his task, and the latter tells him that every being, beginning with the gods, will be enchanted by him, and that he will kindle desire and passion in living beings, piercing their hearts with his flowery arrows.262 A similar account is found in the ́ Sivapurā ṇa (ŚPur),263 whereas in the Bhāgavatapurāṇa (BhPur) Kāma is said to be born in the heart of Brahmā.264 The TR’s version of the myth also differs from the account of the origin of Kāma given in the LU, where the gods, tormented by Tārakāsura, resolve to turn to the god of love to induce Śiva to beget the son who alone would be capable of defeating this demon. As Viṣṇu looks at Lakṣmı̄, Kāma makes his appearance as the enchanter of the world; then Hari gives him his weapons and grants him invincibility.265 Here too, Kāma originates in some way from Lakṣmı̄, but Viṣṇu plays the active role in generating him, so his descent from the Goddess is less direct than in the TR. The first episode related to Kāma in the mk climaxes in a battle between Kāma and the mortals in which the god is eventually defeated by a king, thanks to a weapon granted to him by Śiva.266 Subsequently, Kāma is revived by Lakṣmı̄ who, having closed her eyes and plunged into a meditation on Tripurā, thus becoming identical with her, opens her eyes again and casts her glances showering amṛta upon her lifeless son, whereupon Kāma rises as if awakening from sleep.267 These details provide further testimony of the identification of Lakṣmı̄ with Tripurā, for it is precisely by becoming identical with Tripurā – i.e. by attaining the tanmayatva268 – that Lakṣmı̄ can revive her son. What is more, she does so in a way that foreshadows the future resuscitation of Kāma by Tripurā/Lalitā.269 The link between Tripurā and the god of love is enhanced in the concluding part of this episode.270 Since he has been hit by a divine arrow given by Śiva to his opponent in the battle, Kāma asks Lakṣmı̄ to grant him the power to vanquish the great Lord, who had indirectly defeated him. Lakṣmı̄ propitiates Tripurā and urges her son to do the same, after having taught him the Goddess’s 108 names. Thereafter, Tripurā, taking on the aspect of Lakṣmı̄, appears to Kāma in a dream271 and reveals to him her vidyā, which is concealed in her 108 names. Afterwards she shows herself in her own form, and Kāma pays homage to her with a hymn of praise. Finally, the Goddess grants him the invincibility to which he aspired, and establishes that, since he had been her first worshipper (ādyaḥ upāsakaḥ, TR, mk, 25, 40cd), her vidyā, the hymn containing her 108 names and the

Tripurā as Kāmākṣı ̄ and Lalitā  55 stotra dedicated to her by Kāma, will henceforth take his name and will bestow happiness (subhāgya) to all beings. These events highlight some important aspects of the relationship between Tripurā and Kāma: besides the fact that Kāma may be considered as Tripurā’s son, he is also to be regarded as the foremost among her devotees (bhakteṣv agragaḥ, TR, mk, 25, 39b), and a knower of her vidyā; as for Tripurā, her affinity with Kāma and the sameness of their natures is expressed by the first epithets opening her nāmastotra and emphasizing her character of goddess of love.272 At a later point of the mk, where the account of the episode relating to Kāma is resumed,273 before Kāma approaches Śiva to arouse his desire for Pārvatı̄, Lakṣmı̄ asks Tripurā to protect her son from the danger of being burnt to ashes by Śiva, as Gaurı̄’s curse foretold.274 To comply with this plea, Tripurā looks at Kāma, then attracts and absorbs him into her eyes, so that thereafter she becomes known in the world as Kāmākṣı.̄ 275 This detail provides the mythic-narrative means to explain and justify the identity of Tripurā and the local goddess Kāmākṣı.̄ A brief digression on this goddess may be useful at this point. Historically, “the first reference to the goddess in Kanchipuram with the name Kāmākṣı ̄ occurs in an inscription from the Vijayanagara king Harihara II, dated to 1392 CE.”276 Of her temple in Kāñcı̄ (Kanchipuram), Schier reports that a “śr ı ̄cakra is installed in front of Kāmākṣı’̄ s stone idol in the sanctum of the Kāmākṣı ̄ temple.”277 In fact, “the identification of Lalitā Tripurasundarı̄ with local goddesses is often achieved by linking the goddesses to the s ́r ı ̄cakra.”278 On the basis of epigraphic evidence, Schier shows that the identification of Kāmākṣı ̄ with Lalitā Tripurasundarı̄ and her worship in the Śrı̄cakra were well established in Kāñcı̄ by the end of the 16th century.279 Textual evidence testifying to the fact that Kāñcı̄ was the dwelling place of the goddess Kāmākṣı ̄ is provided, for instance, by Bhāskararāya’s commentary on epithet 62 in the LSN, “Kāmākṣı”̄ : “This is the personal name of the [goddess] who presides over the Kāñcı̄ Pı̄th ̣ a,”280 as well as by Lalitā’s epithet 259 in the LTS: “who dwells in the Kāmakoṭi[pı̄th ̣ a],”281 where Kāmakoṭi is to be understood as the name of the site that is a centre for the cult of Kāmākṣı.̄ 282 Returning to the text of the TR, Kāma merges into Tripurā’s eyes, and is as if immersed in deep sleep, while his body falls to the ground. Crores and crores of Kāmas rise from the pores of the god’s skin and flow all around, and Tripurā directs them to arouse desire in living beings. Then, by means of her great māyā, she causes the body of Kāma to rise like a man awakening from sleep and, naming that body Kāma, she endows it with the magical flower-arrows and the sugarcane bow; she then sends it to Śiva,283 who eventually burns it to ashes with the fire of his third eye. It is therefore this mortal, corporeal form of Kāma that approaches Śiva, the true god of love remaining always concealed in Tripurā’s eyes. The TR provides an original variant of this episode in the story of Kāma, differing from the better-known Purāṇic and literary versions of the myth, where it is Kāma himself who challenges Śiva and is eventually defeated

56  Myths and Rituals by the great ascetic, and where it is generally Śiva who, after having burnt Kāma to ashes, restores him to life in various ways.284 In the TR instead, while the true Kāma dwells safely in Tripurā’s eyes, it is only his replica that is sent to Śiva; this replica is represented by his physical body (sá rı ̄ra, deha), which is summoned by the Goddess and addressed by the name of Kāma. This narrative device, which constitutes a variation on the theme of the double and is further developed by the image of the crores of Kāmas rising from the body of the god, enables the author(s) of the TR to establish an essential connection between Tripurā and Kāmākṣı:̄ besides the fact that the name of this goddess is regarded as an epithet of Tripurā, it evokes a very significant event in the relationship between Tripurā and the god of love. Conversely, the LU provides different explanations for the meaning of the name Kāmākṣı,̄ which rule out any connection with Kāmadeva. The first of these explanations is as follows: “Omniscient, by casting her glance she fulfilled every desire. Having seen this acting of the Goddess, Brahmā, the great father of the world, gave her the names of Kāmākṣı ̄ and Kāmeśvarı̄.”285 As Gupta remarks, this interpretation of the name Kāmākṣı,̄ which emphasizes the grace of the Goddess fulfilling the desires of her devotees, reveals the influence of bhakti and testifies to the “tendency – of the LU – to distance Lalitā from the original erotic nature of her cult.”286 In Chapter 39,287 which is devoted to the celebration of Kāmākṣı,̄ the name of the goddess of Kāñcı̄ – who is explicitly identified with Tripurā and Ā dilakṣmı̄288 – is explained as follows: The unparalleled Ā dilakṣmı̄, supreme Lady, before all, glanced at Brahmā with her right eye and at Hari with her left eye, [66] thus the Goddess of speech (Sarasvatı̄) named Kā, and Kamalā (Lakṣmı̄) named Mā, both manifested as a compact mass of splendour. [67]289 Later, Brahmā and Hari pay homage to the Goddess and salute her as Kāmākṣı.̄ 290 Hence Kāmākṣı ̄ is she from whose eyes (akṣı ̄) Sarasvatı̄ (denoted by kā) and Lakṣmı̄ (denoted by mā) were born. This explanation of the name Kāmākṣı ̄ testifies moreover to the will to connect Tripurā/ Lalitā with the Purāṇic goddesses and to place the LU within the Purāṇic tradition.291 Although it does not link Kāmākṣı ̄ with Kāma, a variant of the myth related to the god of love also occurs in the LU. After a brief account of the main events in Kāma’s story, from his origin to his encounter with Śiva,292 the subject is resumed in Chapter 30, where, after Kāma has been burnt to ashes by Śiva, the gods ask Lalitā to revive him, to show compassion for Rati, his widow. Hence, Manmatha is born again from the sidelong glance of the Goddess, his beauty surpassing that of his former body;293 then, to show his gratitude to Lalitā for having restored him to life, Kāma declares that he is her son.294

Tripurā as Kāmākṣı ̄ and Lalitā  57 The episode of the incinerated Kāma being brought back to life by the glance of the Goddess – which distinguishes the LU narrative from the Purāṇic and literary versions of the myth mentioned above – is also to be found in the TR. With the resumption of the Kāma episode at the beginning of the LM,295 the text states that when the gods request Lalitā to revive Kāma to relieve Rati’s pain for the loss of her spouse, Lalitā replies that Kāma had not perished, but had been dwelling in her eyes, and only his physical body had been burnt to ashes.296 Then she sprinkles the nectar oozing from the corners of her beautiful eyes onto the Supreme Lord Kāmeśvara, so that through the corners of her eyes Kāma enters the heart of Kāmeśvara and comes out from the body of Kāmeśvara in his corporeal form.297 While the motif of the reviving glance of the Goddess occurs in both the LU and the TR, the texts differ in some details. What is remarkable in the TR, besides Kāma’s dwelling in the Goddess’s eyes, is the role attributed to Kāmeśvara in the resuscitation of Kāma. The image of the nectar of immortality flowing from the eyes of the Goddess and impregnating the heart of Kāmeśvara, from whose body Kāma reappears in corporeal form, suggests that Kāma is generated by Kāmeśvara. In this process, which is not so much a birth as a resurrection, the active, fertilizing task is ascribed to the Goddess and the passive function of womb is assigned to Kāmeśvara. This detail reveals the underlying Tantric idea of the polarity of the feminine and masculine aspects of the godhead: while the roles of the two sexes seem to be in some way reversed, the active role of the Goddess corresponds to the Tantric concept of the Śakti, regarded as the active, dynamic pole of the godhead. The conclusion of the episode is similar in both the TR and the LU. In the former, when Kāma, as if awakened from sleep, learns from Lakṣmı̄ of his previous incineration by Śiva, he is reluctant to take a corporeal form again. But Lalitā reassures him, saying that he would be attended by several Kāmas, risen out of his own body; moreover, Rati alone would be able to see his new body, and in facing Śiva he would be invisible.298 In the same way, in the LU the Goddess tells Kāma that, thanks to her favour, thousands of Kāmas would originate from him; they would take possession of everyone’s body, bestowing the utmost pleasure of love. Moreover, Śiva would not be able to burn his body, and Kāma would enchant all living beings in his invisible form.299 In both the TR and the LU, after being burnt to ashes by Śiva, Kāma does not become the Incorporeal one (Anaṅga) – his main epithet in the majority of the Purāṇic sources – but acquires an invisible form (adṛs ́yamūrti in LU, 30, 61a), which can be discerned only by the enamoured glance of Rati. Furthermore, he multiplies by a thousand, and the Kāmas spread to the entire world, enchanting all living beings. This image of the Kāmas rising from the body of the god of love recurs more than once in the TR,300 enhancing the idea of his all-powerful ubiquitousness.

58  Myths and Rituals The table below sums up the principal events of the story of Kāma as they are recorded in, or omitted from, the relevant passages in the TR and the LU: Kāma born from Lakṣmı̄ alias Tripurā TR, mk, 12, 63c–64a Kāma resuscitated by Lakṣmı̄’s glance TR, mk, 21, 3-5a Link between Tripurā and Kāma TR, mk, 25–26 Kāmākṣı ̄ is Tripurā absorbing Kāma in her eyes TR, mk, 36, 18–22 Kāma resuscitated by Lalitā/Tripurā’s glance at Kāmeśvara TR, mk, 47, 41–42 Multiplication of the invisible Kāma TR, mk, 47, 54, 58c–59a

Kāma born from Lakṣmı̄ and Viṣṇu LU, 11, 11b–12

Kāmākṣı ̄ is she who fulfills desires LU, 15, 34c–35 Kāmākṣı ̄ is she from whose eyes are born Sarasvatı̄ and Lakṣmı̄ LU, 39, 66–67 Kāma resuscitated by Lalitā’s glance LU, 30, 45c–46b Multiplication of the invisible Kāma LU, 30, 59–61b

An examination of the passages indicated in the table above shows that in the mk of the TR the story of Kāma appears to be a coherent narrative which, notwithstanding various interruptions, revolves around the relationship between the god of love and Tripurā, with each new episode enhancing and deepening this relationship. At first Lakṣmı̄, alter ego of Tripurā, begets Kāma, then she revives him with her glance, thereby foreshadowing his subsequent latency in Tripurā’s eyes and his resuscitation by Lalitā’s glance. The motif of the reviving glance of the Goddess, granting first protection, then resurrection, is epitomized by the figure of Kāmākṣı,̄ originally an independent, local goddess, whose name is interpreted as an epithet of Tripurā, thus establishing a vital link between the Goddess and Kāma. No such associations are found in the LU. This text celebrates Kāmākṣı,̄ asserting her identification with Tripurā and Lakṣmı̄ (Ā dilakṣmı̄)301 and stating: “This same Lalitā became manifest as Kāmākṣı ̄ in Kāñcı̄.”302 However, although the birth of Kāma is related to Lakṣmı̄, and his resuscitation is ascribed to Lalitā, Kāmākṣı ̄ herself is not directly connected with the god of love, as is also proved by the explanations of her name given in the text. Both the LU and the TR provide good instances of the production of Purāṇic stories, to be considered – as Friedhelm Hardy303 maintains – as a living process whereby archetypes (in the present case, important divine figures) are transformed and localized, and, simultaneously, local deities are placed in a wider horizon. According to this process, while the local goddess Kāmākṣı ̄ acquires the broad dimension of the great Goddess Tripurā, the latter is made approachable by her devotees, as if brought closer to them, thanks to the locally rooted cult of the former. The TR’s

Tripurā as Kāmākṣı ̄ and Lalitā  59 original contribution, compared to the LU, consists in establishing a special, significant connection between Tripurā/Kāmākṣı ̄ and Kāmadeva, thereby reasserting “the original erotic nature of her cult.”304

Tripurā as Lalitā If Kāmākṣı,̄ or rather the figure of Kāmākṣı,̄ as portrayed in the TR, may be considered as the embodiment of the saumya (“gentle”) aspect of Tripurā, representing all that is benevolent, motherly and protective in her nature, Lalitā incarnates Tripurā’s ugra (“fierce”) aspect of warrior goddess. Lalitā is said to be a part of Tripurā, the highest and fullest of Tripurā’s forms,305 and indeed her importance is also proved by the fact that the LM, devoted to the celebration of her victorious fight against the demon Bhaṇḍa, occupies a large portion of the mk (Chapters 47–78). The LM also highlights the contradictions characterizing the figure of the Goddess fighting the demons. In fact, in the ambivalent relationship between Lalitā and Bhaṇḍa, while the latter’s attraction to and hostility towards the Goddess evokes the polarity of erotic and warring aspects of the relationship between Durgā and the Buffalo demon,306 Lalitā, endowed as she is with the contrasting qualities of martial valour, charm and mercifulness, may be recognized as a personification of the archetype of the “murderous mother.”307 The salient facts of the fight between Lalitā and Bhaṇḍa as related in the LM are based on the corresponding episodes narrated in the LU. For the account of the battle between the troops of the śaktis and the army of the demons, the reader is directed to the relevant chapters of the Synopsis. The question of whether the TR provides an original contribution to the story of Lalitā, on the other hand, and, if this be the case, in what that contribution may consist, is worth discussing here. Beginning with the origin of Bhaṇḍa, Hayagrı̄va tells Agastya that when Kāma was burnt to ashes by Śiva, Gaṇeśa gathered the ashes and fashioned them into a human figure. Pārvatı̄ asked Śiva to breathe life into the figure, so that Gaṇeśa might play with it, and Śiva vivified it by shedding upon it the nectar of immortality that flowed from his glance. Thus, Bhaṇḍa was born. He was beautiful because he had arisen from and was a share of Kāma (kāmāṃ śasambhava, TR, mk, 50, 10d), but he turned out to be a demon because of his connection with the product of Śiva’s anger, i.e. Kāma’s ashes. The account in the LU is basically the same, although less detailed.308 Only in the TR does the prodigious birth of Bhaṇḍa acquire a peculiar significance and a special relationship is established between Bhaṇḍa and Lalitā. In fact, since Bhaṇḍa is said to be a share (aṃ s ́a) of Kāma, he himself becomes, like the god of love, a son of Lakṣmı̄/Tripurā; moreover, he is vivified by the glance of Śiva, in the same way as Kāma is revived by the glances of Lakṣmı̄ and Lalitā. This filial relationship between Bhaṇḍa and Lalitā provides a first clue to understanding his behaviour on the battlefield, which is unusual if compared with that of the traditional demonic foes of the Goddess.

60  Myths and Rituals A second clue is provided by the circumstances of a previous life of the demon, which are related to Nārada by Bhaṇḍa himself at the time of the events antecedent to the great battle.309 The sage learns that Bhaṇḍa had once been Lakṣmı̄’s messenger and, after being cursed by the Goddess, he was doomed to be reborn as a demon. However, thanks to a mitigation of that curse, he was destined to be born from the body of a devotee of the Goddess and, afterwards, to acquire great power over the worlds, until such time as he would be killed in war by the Goddess, thereby attaining final emancipation. Hence Bhaṇḍa, born according to his fate from the incinerated body of Kāma, the best among the Goddess’s devotees, having long enjoyed pleasures and power, was now disgusted with the world, and eagerly awaited his own death at the hands of Lalitā.310 Mantriṇı ̄ explains to Nārada that the apparent contradiction inherent in the fact that Bhaṇḍa was destined to be killed by Lalitā, despite being her devotee, and to attain liberation, despite being a demon, was overcome by the Goddess’s motherly nature, which is simultaneously destructive and redemptive.311 Since the preparations for the battle, Bhaṇḍa has been tormented by doubts about the course of his actions and, after much cogitation, he concludes: “Vain is my thinking about the permanence of the world, whose essence is dream! Hence with all my soul I will take refuge with her, I will be bound to whatever she will command me, and not otherwise.”312 After this astonishing profession of obedience to his adversary, the ambivalence of his mood is further revealed when, while urging his soldiers to fight, he mentally addresses this prayer to the Goddess: “O supreme Lady, o [you who are] affording shelter, protect me who have come [to you] for refuge! May it please you to take me out of the bonds of the net of illusion!”313 This invocation expresses the devotee’s complete surrender to the grace of the deity (sá raṇagati), as well as his awareness that the fight for supremacy over the worlds that will ensue is ultimately nothing but delusion.314 Later, on the eve of battle, Bhaṇḍa nurtures feelings of distress, disregard for worldly pleasures and renunciation of his kingdom. However, though mentally bowing before the supreme Mother, he feigns an outburst of anger against a messenger who praises the prowess of Lalitā, behaving like an actor in a play.315 This attitude is consistent with his name, since Bhaṇḍa means “mime”. At the start of the battle, he is said to be delighted, thinking of his forthcoming attainment of the abode of the Goddess. At first, he faces Bālā, “the young girl of wonderful valour, born as a reflected image of the venerable queen Lalitā.”316 Bhaṇḍa pays homage to her by throwing watery arrows at her feet and a flowery arrow at her head, all consecrated by mantras; her feet are thus washed with pure and cool water and a garland is poured on her head.317 Then as a token of her acceptance of his devotion, the young goddess fires a five-branched arrow, which alights like a hand on the head of Bhaṇḍa, blessing him.318 Thereafter they begin to fight, but their meeting on the battlefield is more like a pūjā than a duel.

Tripurā as Kāmākṣı ̄ and Lalitā  61 Further on, at certain salient moments of the conflict, Bhaṇḍa feels the ambiguity of his situation. When he learns of the death of his sons at the hands of Bālā, he at first grieves over his loss, but realizes after further consideration that by allowing his sons to reach her abode before him, the Goddess has granted him his very own wish; so, he prays to her to let him find a place at her feet after his death, along with his sons and wives. After this, his brothers come to urge him to attack the stronghold of Lalitā, and Bhaṇḍa: “with the purpose of concealing his own condition in front of his two brothers, explicitly mourned for his sons, while mentally mocking both of them.”319 Later, learning that his brothers and nephews have been killed by Mantriṇı ̄ and Daṇḍinı̄, Bhaṇḍa once again experiences conflicting emotions but, concealing his true feelings, he enters the battlefield on his war chariot. During the battle his faithful charioteer notices his odd behaviour and enquires about the mood of his king; hence Bhaṇḍa, in a dialogue that reproduces Bālā and her charioteer’s analogous situation at the outset of the battle, discloses the story of his previous life, the memory of which he has preserved thanks to the Goddess’s favour, thus explaining the ambiguity of his behaviour.320 For her part, Lalitā twice shows her willingness to fulfil Bhaṇḍa’s wish to be killed by her alone: when first Daṇḍinı̄ and then Gaṇeśa are about to slay the demon, she orders them to spare him.321 Finally, Bhaṇdạ and Lalitā face each other on the battlefield. Bhaṇdạ mentally bows with devotion before the Goddess and worships her by throwing five wonderful arrows: the first two fall as bunches of flowers at her feet, the third becomes a garland of lotuses around her neck, the fourth showers flowers on her head and the fifth becomes a gem on her crown.322 As his previous encounter with Bālā turned out to be a pūjā rather than a duel, in the same way, here the expected gesture of defiance preceding the fight amounts to an act of homage. The five arrows of Bhaṇdạ are clearly reminiscent of the flowery arrows of Kāma, thereby strengthening the identity of the demon and the god of love, son of Lakṣmı̄/Tripurā. Thereafter Bhaṇḍa delivers a speech addressed to Lalitā in which he scolds her with words concealing a secret meaning [17cd]: ‘O Lalitā, listen to my speech. In my [opinion] you look like an actress, always delighting in behaving feignedly as a feminine male; [18] indeed you have a womanly aspect, [yet] you are deprived of a womanly nature. By no means do I consider you as either a female or a male being. [19] [Since you are] one whose conduct is universally hated, [and are] without shame, fear and so forth, you are not born of a noble family, indeed you seem to me of low origin. [20] By all means it seems to me that you have come into contact with people devoid of discrimination, who take a path blamed by the world. [21] Oh! Indeed, for me this is what is coarse: in [your] appearance I see you now in front of me in such a way that is unworthy. [22] Listen, I will say truly, let things be as they are, somehow you have now come within

62  Myths and Rituals range of my sight. [23] Abandoning [any] feigned behaviour and magic, stay firm in front of me; I have just met you, do not turn your back on me. [24] In no way have you deceived me who am before your eyes, [though] able to back away so as not to be seen, hence do not move at all. [25] Knowing my sole unchanging wish and seeing my valour, accomplish my own vow. [26]’323 Bhaṇḍa’s speech is designated as gūḍha, which means “concealed, secret, private” and also “disguised”, a label which may apply to the demon’s attitude as a whole; in fact, during the conflict he conceals his feelings of passionate devotion and his wish to die at the hands of the Goddess, keeping them secret, while he disguises himself as a fierce warrior, behaving like an actor in a play (nātỵ e naṭa iva, TR, mk, 62, 45a). Likewise in his discourse, he addresses Lalitā as an actress (naṭı ̄va, v. 18b), implying that their fight is nothing but a play in which the Goddess and he act as adversaries, hiding their true identities and intentions. By calling her a feminine male (straiṇaṃ puruṣam, v. 18d) he echoes a statement contained in the speech directed by Lakṣmı̄ to Māṇikyaśekhara, i.e. Bhaṇḍa in his previous life: “neither female, nor eunuch, nor male, Tripurā has Consciousness as her body”;324 the Goddess is thus beyond the polarity of masculine and feminine and yet she includes this polarity within herself, because she is “in the form of Śiva, in the form of Śakti.”325 Although mindful of the words of Lakṣmı̄, who had revealed to him the nature of the Goddess, Bhaṇḍa pretends to insult Lalitā saying that she is of low origin and that her conduct is disreputable. But after the elusive tone of the first part of his speech, Bhaṇḍa acknowledges that Lalitā’s unworthy appearance is only the result of her māyā, so he then asks her to give up her magic power of transformation and concludes by frankly urging Lalitā to face him in battle and fulfil his vow. In the end, when the entire army of the demons was vanquished, “the great demon Bhaṇḍa, steadfast inside, meditated on the lotus-like feet of Lalitā and, as he attained the pure essence of the object of [his] meditation, the Goddess Lalitā shot at him with an arrow furnished with the kāmesá s̄ tra,” 326 which reduced Bhaṇḍa, his war chariot and his capital city Śūnyaka to ashes (bhasmasé ṣı ̄karot, 64c), with all its inhabitants. The details of the final defeat of Bhaṇḍa are indicative of the exceptional nature of this contest: at the climax of the fight, instead of attacking Lalitā, Bhaṇḍa plunges into meditation and, as he attains complete absorption in the object of his meditation, the Goddess strikes him with the arrow which will grant him liberation, implied by using the verbal form mumoca (v. 61c), from the root muc, the same as mokṣa/mukti. By using the weapon of her divine consort Kāmeśvara (kāmesá s̄ tra), Lalitā burns Bhaṇḍa to ashes in the same way as Kāma was incinerated by Śiva, henceforth called Kāmeśvara (Lord of Kāma); in so doing she enhances the identity of Kāma and Bhaṇḍa, who returns to the ashes whence he originated.

Tripurā as Kāmākṣı ̄ and Lalitā  63 A collation of the parts of the LM and the LU that describe the principal incidents of the fight between Lalitā and Bhaṇḍa shows that the most remarkable difference between the two texts consists in the description of Bhaṇḍa’s mood and ambivalent behaviour, which occurs only in the TR. The text itself provides a justification for Bhaṇḍa’s ambiguity, resulting from the circumstances of his previous life. But besides this explanation, provided within the narrative context of the LM, the original contribution of the TR to the story of Lalitā and Bhaṇḍa may be even better understood in the broader context of the South Indian versions of the myth of the fight between the Goddess and the demons. As Shulman remarks, the Tamil accounts of the fight between the Goddess and the buffalo demon emphasize the erotic link between the two opponents, which is expressed also in some Sanskrit versions of the myth, where the demon attempts to seduce the Goddess before they face each other in battle.327 In the TR too, a hint of seduction can be detected in the message sent by Bhaṇḍa to Lalitā on the eve of battle: avowing that the beautiful goddess, in her captivating aspect, is dear to his heart, he declares that there is no reason for them to fight; hence he urges her, not without an intimation of threat, to abandon the side of the gods and take refuge with him.328 However, notwithstanding the fact that the tone of this message calls attention to the charming and seductive features of Lalitā, in the TR any erotic component of her relationship with Bhaṇḍa seems to be overshadowed by the filial bond. Bhaṇḍa’s contradictory nature, the fact that he is both Lalitā’s fearsome adversary and her passionate devotee, and that it is his destiny to be liberated in death, are truly topoi of the dveṣabhakti category of myths – “devotion of hate”, according to Shulman’s definition – in which demons attain salvation in death at the hands of a god or a goddess. In a Tamil Purāṇa, for instance, Mahiṣa is blessed by being trampled to death by the salvific touch of the foot of the Maiden/Mother Goddess.329 Shulman further shows how, through the identification of Mahiṣa with Śiva, testified in South Indian Sanskrit and Tamil Purāṇas as well as in living folk versions of the myth, the fight between the Goddess and the demon may result not in a liberating death, but in marriage, whereby the fierce warrior goddess is tamed and transformed from a threatening “murderous bride” into a gentle wife.330 This motif of the “murderous bride” seems to have been reworked by the author(s) of the TR through the aspect of Lalitā as murderous mother. The polyvalent and elusive nature of Lalitā is duly highlighted in the LM. Her identification with Tripurā reveals her benevolent (saumya) aspect, which is both seductive and maternal. As supreme Goddess, Lalitā performs the divine functions of obscuration and grace: after deluding Bhaṇḍa by means of her ambivalent behaviour during the battle, she eventually fulfils his desire to be united with her. But her salvific grace is bestowed when she shows herself in her fierce (ugra) aspect of warrior goddess, endowed with the power of destruction and death. For Bhaṇḍa, who recovers his identity

64  Myths and Rituals of son in death, the murderous mother Lalitā finally appears as the great Mother Goddess that generates and reabsorbs all things. Bhaṇḍa’s liberation post mortem is said to be the attainment of a place in the abode of the Goddess.331 By dwelling in the same world of the Goddess and enjoying her proximity, Bhaṇḍa experiences the states that are called, in various texts and traditions, sālokya and sāmı ̄pya; these, together with sārūpya and sāyujya, are envisaged to represent successive stages of liberation, in a hierarchical order.332 These conditions differ from the liberation while still alive (jı ̄vanmukti) which constitutes the highest ideal of emancipation advocated in the TR, in accordance with the soteriology of the Tripurā tradition.333 Therefore, the type of liberation in death attained by Bhaṇḍa may be considered suitable for a demon, who cannot expect to access the jı ̄vanmukti, which is a type of emancipation reserved for human beings only.

Notes 254 See TR, mk, 1, 4: “I pay homage to Tripurā, … the shower of nectar bringing about the resurrection of the burnt Kāma. [4]” tripurāṃ … | dagdhakāmojjı ̄­ vanāya sudhāsārāṃ namāmy aham || 4 ||. The Invocation is quoted and translated in Synopsis, Chapter 1. 255 See Synopsis, Chapters 11–12. 256 See TR, mk, 12, 57c–58b: [You are] the power of Brahmā that carries out the creation [of the world], [you are] the strenuous and continued effort of Viṣṇu [to maintain] the prosperity of the earth, [you are] the power of Rudra that destroys [the world]. Oh Nārāyaṇı,̄ may homage be paid to you. [57c–58b]

sṣtị kartrı ̄ brahmas ́aktir gos ́rı ̄ viṣṇubalodyamā || 57cd || saṃ hāriṇı ̄ rudrasá ktir nārāyaṇi namo’stu te | 58ab. This I Hymn in Praise of Lakṣmı̄ is quoted and translated in Synopsis, Chapter 12. 257 See TR, mk, 12, 63c–64a: “she quickly begot from her mind a boy of heavenly splendour” ity uktvā sā svamanasā kumāraṃ divyavarcasam || 63cd || utpadya tarasā … | 64a. 258 TR, mk, 13, 3–5: padmakiñjalkasaṅkāsá ḥ padmapattranibhekṣaṇaḥ | phulla­ padmasamānāsyaḥ pakvabimbaradacchadaḥ || 3 || kuṇdạ laprollasad­gaṇdọ ratnakoṭır̄ aśobhitaḥ | komalānġ o dı̄rghabāhuḥ pı̄tāmbaralasatkaṭiḥ || 4 || vāmahastalasaccāpo dakṣahastāttasāyakaḥ | āmarṣasabhrukuṭilaḥ kumāraḥ pañcahāyanaḥ || 5 ||. 259 TR, mk, 12, 3cd: padmākṣı ̄ padmasaṃ sthānā padmahastā … || 3cd ||. The Hymn of the 28 Names of Lakṣmı ̄ (TR, mk, 12, 2–6), from which these epithets are taken, is quoted and translated in Synopsis, Chapter 12. See also TR, mk, 21, 82: “O [you] who have a lotus face, who dwell in the lotus, who have the colour of lotus filaments, who hold lotuses dear, who have lotus-like feet, o Nārāyaṇı,̄ may homage be paid to you. [82]” padmāsye padmanilaye padmakiñjalkavarṇini | padmapriye padmapade nārāyaṇi namo’stu te || 82 ||. The II Hymn in Praise of Lakṣmı ̄ (TR, mk, 21, 78–83), from which this verse is taken, is quoted and translated in Synopsis, Chapter 21. 260 See Part I, Chapter 1. 261 See KāPur, 1, 42: evaṃ cintayatas tasya brahmaṇo munisattamāḥ | manasaḥ puruṣo valgur āvirbhūto vinistāḥ || 42 ||.

Tripurā as Kāmākṣı ̄ and Lalitā  65 262 See KāPur, 1, 42ff in B. N. Shastri (ed.) 1991, Part I: 8–11. 263 See ŚPur, Rudrasaṃ hitā II, 2, 23–42 and Eng. trans. in ŚPur 1977, Vol. I: 280–281. 264 See BhPur, III, 12, 26a: hdi kāmo… 265 See LU, 11, 11b–12: … mahālakṣmı ̄m udaikṣata | tadā prādurabhūs tvaṃ hi jaganmāhanrūpadhk || 11bd || tavāyudhārthe dattaṃ ca puṣpabāṇekṣukārmukam | vijayatvam ajeyatvaṃ prādāt pramudito hariḥ || 12 ||, see also the Eng. trans. of the entire episode (vv. 7–29) in Tagare (ed.) 1984, Part IV: 1074–1076. 266 See Synopsis, Chapters 13–20. 267 See TR, mk, 21, 3–5a: tripurāṃ parameśānı̄ṃ dhyātvā niścalamānasā | nimı̄­ lya netrayugalaṃ tanmayı̄ saṃ sthitā kṣaṇam || 3 || unmı̄lya netrayugalam amtāṃ śupravarṣaṇam | apas ́yan manmathaṃ lakṣmı ̄s tatkṣaṇad̄ eva manmathaḥ || 4 || uttasthāu nidrita iva | 5a. 268 On the meaning of the term tanmayatva as a state of complete absorption in the object of meditation, see the relevant entry in TAK III 2013: 80–83. 269 See TR, mk, 47, 41–42, quoted below. 270 See Synopsis, Chapters 24–25. 271 See Part I, Chapter 1. 272 See TR, mk, 26, 11ac: “Kāmeśvarı̄, power of desire, she who grants happiness in love, personification of [fulfilled] desire …” kāmeśvarı ̄ kāmaśaktiḥ kāmasaubhāgyadāyinı ̄ | kāmarūpā … || 11ac ||. 273 See Synopsis, Chapter 36. 274 For this detail, see Synopsis, Chapter 21. 275 See TR, mk, 36, 17: ity uktvā manmathaṃ vı ̄kṣya ds ́i svasyāṃ samāharat | tataḥ sā tripurā loke kāmākṣı ̄ty abhiviśrutā || 17 ||. 276 Schier 2018: 119; for further details, see Ibidem: 122–123 and note 19. 277 Ibidem: 124. For information about the Kāmākṣı ̄ temple in Kāñcı̄, see also Gupta 2018: 67. 278 Ibidem: 123, note 24, where Schier adds: “another goddess is Akhilāṇḍeśvarı̄ at the Jambukeśvara temple near Trichy (Tiruchchirapalli), who wears earrings with the śrı ̄cakra”. For detailed information about other goddesses closely related to Kāmākṣı ̄ of Kāñcı̄, and about their temples in Tamil Nadu, see Ibidem: 125–152. 279 See Ibidem: 124. 280 kāñcı ̄pı ̄ṭhādhiṣtḥ ātryā idam asādhāraṇaṃ nāma, Eng trans. by Sanderson in Sanderson 2017: 31, note 67. 281 kāmakoṭinilayā, Eng trans. by Sanderson in Ibidem: 31. See also epithet 589 in the LSN, 2, 118d: kāmakoṭikā, mentioned in Ibidem: 31, note 67. 282 See Ibidem. 283 See TR, mk, 36, 18–22: vilı ̄no madanas tasyāḥ suṣupta iva saṃ babhāu | athāpatat kāmadehas tayoḥ sammukhato bhumi || 18 || patitasya tasya romakūpebhyas tāds ́ās tataḥ | viniryayuḥ koṭikoṭisaṃ khyāḥ kāmāḥ samantataḥ || 19 || tān samādis ́ya lokeṣu prāṇināṇ kāmanāvidhāu | utthāpayat taccharı ̄raṃ mahāmāyā svamāyayā || 20 || sa uttasthāu kāmadehaḥ supto martya iva drutam | tam āhvayat kāma iti sā parā jagadı ̄śvarı ̄ || 21 || māyāmayān puṣpabāṇan̄ ikṣucāpañ ca tādśam | jahi sı́ ̄ghraṃ mahādevaṃ tapasyantaṃ tvam ity adāt || 22 ||. 284 To cite just a few of the relevant sources: in the ŚPur (Rudreśvara Saṃ hitā, Pār vatı ̄khaṇḍa, 19) and in the Liṅgapurāṇa (LPur, I, 101), after having burnt the god of love to ashes, Śiva foretells the future rebirth of Kāma as the son of Kṣṇa and Rukmiṇı ̄ (see ŚPur 1977: 544–548 and LPur 1973: 559–562). In the Brahmavaivartapurāṇa (BVPur, Kṣṇa Khaṇḍa, 39, 45), it is Śiva himself who, by means of his nectar-like glances, resuscitates Kāma from his own ashes (see BVPur 1974: 271–272, 299–300). In the Matsyapurāṇa (MPur, 154, 219–274), to console Rati for the loss of her spouse, Śiva foretells that Kāma will be born again and will be known as Anaṅga (“the Incorporeal one”) (see MPur

66  Myths and Rituals 1980: 91–93). In Kālidāsa’s Kumārasaṃ bhava, after Kāma has been burnt to ashes by Śiva (III, 70–74), a heavenly voice reassures the grieving Rati that Śiva, after his wedding with Pārvatı̄, will restore Kāma’s corporeal form to him (IV, 40–44). For an examination of the sources in which this myth occurs and its interpretation, see Doniger O’Flaherty 1973: 141–171. 285 LU, 15, 34c–35: sarvajñā sākṣipātena tattatkāmānupūrayat || 34cd || tad dṣtṿ ā caritaṃ devyā brahmā lokapitāmahaḥ | kāmākṣı ̄ti tadābhikhyāṃ dadau kāmeśvarı ̄ti ca || 35 ||. 286 Gupta 2018: 71. 287 See the Eng. trans. of the entire chapter in Tagare (ed.) 1984, Part V: 1299–1311. 288 See LU, 39, 20c–21c: ādilakṣmı ̄m iti khyātāṃ sarveṣam ̄ ̣ hdaye sthitām || 20cd || yām āhus tripurām eva brahmaviṣṇvı ̄sá mātaram | kāmākṣı ̄ti prasiddhām … || 21ac ||. 289 LU, 39, 66–67: ādyādilakṣmı ̄ḥ sarveṣam ̄ ̣ purataḥ śrı ̄pareśvarı ̄ | virañciṃ dakṣiṇenākṣṇa ̄ vāmena harim aikṣata || 66 || kā nāma vāṇı ̄ mā nāma kamalā te ubhe tataḥ | prādurbhūte prabhāpuñje pañjarānta iva sthite || 67 ||. On this explanation of the name of Kāmākṣı,̄ see also Sanderson’s remarks on epithet 194 in the LTS in Sanderson 2017: 26–27, note 57. 290 See LU, 39, 68: s ́rı ̄devatānamacchı ̄rṣabaddhāñjalipuṭav̄ ubhāu | jaya kāmākṣi kāmākṣı ̄ty ūcatus tāṃ praṇematuḥ || 68 ||. 291 See Gupta 2018: 71. 292 See LU, 11 and the Eng. trans. of the entire chapter in Tagare (ed.) 1984, Part IV: 1073–1077. 293 See LU, 30, 45c–46b: tataḥ kaṭak̄ ṣad̄ utpannaḥ smayamānamukhāṃ bujaḥ || 45cd || pūr vadehādhikarucir manmatho madameduraḥ | 46ab. 294 See Ibidem, 56a: tava putro’smi. These facts are related in LU, 30, 33–56 [see Eng. trans. in Tagare (ed.) 1984, Part IV: 1216–1218]. Epithet 13 in the LTS also alludes to this episode: “Reviving the Love God with her sidelong glance” (kandarpajanakāpāṅgavı ̄kṣaṇa,̄ Eng. trans. in Sanderson 2017: 15), as well as verse 13cd of the Lalitāṣtọ ttaraśatanāmastotra: “Repeated obeisance to her whose sidelong glance causes the Love God to be born [again]” (anaṅgaja­ nakāpāṅgavı ̄kṣaṇaȳ ai namo namaḥ, Eng. trans. in Ibidem: 15, quoted in Ibidem: note 22). See also epithet 145 in the LTS: “Resuscitator of the God of Love” (kāmasaṃ jı ̄vinı ̄, Eng. trans. in Ibidem: 23). 295 See Synopsis, Chapter 47. 296 See TR, mk, 47, 38: deha eva parābhūto na kāmo bhasmatāṃ gataḥ | netre mama vasaty eṣaḥ kāmo madbhaktaśekharaḥ || 38 ||. 297 See Ibidem, 41–42: ityuktvā lalitā devı ̄ kāmeśaṃ parames ́varam | sundarāpāṅgapı ̄yū­ ṣavarṣaṇair abhyaṣecayat || 41 || apāṅgād hdayaṃ prāpya kāmeśasya sa manmathaḥ | śarı ̄raṃ prāpya taddehāt kandarpo nirjagāma ha || 42 ||. 298 See TR, mk, 47, 54, 58c–59a: tvaddehasambhavāḥ kāmā asaṃ khyās tvatsamaujasaḥ | jayanti sarvalokāṃ s te teṣam ̄ ̣ tvam ı ̄s ́varo bhava || 54 || … tanuṃ necchasy alaṃ yat te tanum anyo na paśyati || 58cd || ratiṃ vinā triloke’pi … | 59a. 299 See LU, 30, 59–61b: sahasrakoṭayaḥ kāmā matprasādāt tvadudbhavāḥ | sarveṣam ̄ ̣ deham āvisý a dāsyanti ratim uttamām || 59 || matprasādena vairāgyāt saṃ kruddho’pi sa ı ̄śvaraḥ | dehadāhaṃ vidhātuṃ te na samartho bhavisý ati || 60 || adśyamūrtiḥ sarveṣam ̄ ̣ prāṇināṃ bhava mohanaḥ | 61ab. See also Ibidem, 66: *tasyānaṅgasya (em. tasyāṅgasya) sarvebhyo romakūpebhya utthitāḥ | bahavaḥ śobhanākārā madanā viśvamohanāḥ || 66 || [Eng. trans. in Tagare (ed.) 1984, Part IV: 1218–1219]. 300 See TR, mk, 36, 19–20b, in the passage quoted above. There is an allusion to this circumstance also in the eulogy of the beauty of Tripurā, which reads: “her glances acted as mantras begetting crores of gods of love” (TR, mk, 51, 44cd: kandarpakoṭijananamantrākūtasamı ̄kṣaṇa)̄ . 301 See LU, 39, 20c–21c, quoted above. 302 LU, 39, 14ab: lalitā saiva kāmākṣı ̄ kāñcyāṃ vyaktim upāgatā, Eng trans. by Sanderson in Sanderson 2017: 31, note 67.

Tripurā as Kāmākṣı ̄ and Lalitā  67 303 See Hardy 1993. 304 Gupta 2018: 71. 305 See TR, mk, 49, 8d, quoted above; TR, mk, 47, 26bc and TR, mk, 49, 15–16, quoted above. 306 On this theme, see the relevant remarks by Biardeau in Biardeau (ed.) 1981: 15–16. 307 This locution is borrowed from the title of the article by D. Shulman: “The Murderous Bride: Tamil Versions of the Myth of Devı̄ and the Buffalo-Demon” (1976), which will be quoted and discussed below. 308 See LU, 11, 30–31. 309 See Synopsis, Chapters 50 and 52. 310 See Synopsis, Chapter 59. 311 See Synopsis, Chapter 60. 312 TR, mk, 60, 100–101b: tan me vicintanaṃ vyarthaṃ svapnasāre jagatsthitau | tat tāṃ sarveṇa bhāvena śaraṇaṃ prāptavān aham || 100 || tan māṃ niyojayed yadvan niyukto’smi na cānyathā | 101ab. 313 Ibidem, 101c–102b: pāhi māṃ parames ́āni s ́araṇye sá raṇaḡ atam || 101cd || mohajālaprabandhān mām abhyuddhartum ihārhasi | 102ab. 314 See Synopsis, Chapter 60. 315 See TR, mk, 62, 44c–45b: itthaṃ vicintya manasā namas ktya parāmbikām || 44cd || nātỵ e naṭa iva svairaṃ krodham āhārayat param | 45ab. 316 TR, mk, 64, 52c–53b: eṣa ̄ s ́rı ̄lalitārājñyāḥ kumār yadbhutavikramā || 52cd || tasyā bimbasamudbhūtapratibimbavadāsthitā | 53ab. 317 See Ibidem: 56–57: jalāstramantritaśarau prākṣipat tasyāḥ pādayoḥ | athāparaṃ pauṣpamantramantritaṃ mūrdhani kṣipat || 56 || śarau siṣicatuḥ pādau nirmalaiḥ s ́ı ̄talair jalaiḥ | śaro’paro mūrdhni tasyā mālāvarṣam avākirat || 57 ||. 318 See Ibidem: 64b–65: … śaram utsjat | sa śaraḥ pañcaśākhātmā pasparśa tasya mūrdhani || 64bd || karāmbujaṃ mastake sve nyastaṃ mene mahāsuraḥ | prasādam akarod devı ̄ ceti saṃ hṣito’bhavat || 65 ||. 319 TR, mk, 74, 21c–22b: svarūpagopanārthaṃ sa bhrātroḥ sammukhataḥ sthitaḥ || 21cd || putrān śuśoca nitarāṃ manasā tau hasaṃ s tadā | 22ab. See also Synopsis, Chapter 74. 320 See Synopsis, Chapter 76. 321 See Synopsis, Chapters 65 and 73. 322 See TR, mk, 77, 10c–12: vivyādha pañcabhir bāṇais tadadbhutam ivābhavat || 10cd || tatra dvayaṃ sukusumanicayaṃ pādayoḥ patat | ttı ̄yaṃ kaṇtḥ adeśe’bhun mālikā phullapaṅkajı ̄ || 11 || tataḥ paraṃ mūrdhny apatat puṣpavarṣaṇarūpataḥ | antyaṃ ratnamayaṃ mūrdhni bhūṣaṇaṃ mukuṭe sthitam || 12 ||. 323 TR, mk, 77, 17c–26: gūḍhāpadānavacanair adhikṣeptuṃ pracakrame | 17cd lalite śṇu me vākyaṃ tvaṃ naṭı̄va vibhāsi me | mṣācāraratā nityaṃ straiṇaṃ puruṣam āśritā || 18 || strı̄r ūpadhāriṇı̄va tvaṃ strı̄svabhāvavivargitā | na striyaṃ tvāṃ aham manye na pumāṃ sam api kvacit || 19 || lokavidviṣṭacāritrā lajjāśaṅkādivarjitā | na tvaṃ satkulasambhūtā kulahı̄neva bhāsi me || 20 || lokaninditamārgasthaiḥ puruṣair avivekibhiḥ | api tvam abhimṣṭāsi sarvatheti vibhāti me || 21 || aho me prāktaṃ hy evaṃ yat tvām evaṃ vidhām api | anarhāṃ darśane nūnaṃ paśyāmi purataḥ sthitām || 22 || śṇu satyena vakṣyāmi yad yathāsti tathāstu tat | maddṣṭigocarı̄bhūtā samprati tvaṃ kathañcana || 23 || mṣācārañ ca māyāñ ca tyaktvā mayi sthirı̄bhava | āsāditā mayā sadyaḥ pṣṭhaṃ me na pradarśaya || 24 || nāpi māṃ hi samakṣasthaṃ vañcayitvā kathañcana | śakyaṃ hy adśyatāṃ yātuṃ tasmāt tvaṃ susthirı̄bhava || 25 || viditvā madabhiprāyam ekāntaṃ suvyavasthitam | dṣṭvā madı̄yavı̄r yaṃ ca saṃ sādhaya nijaṃ vratam || 26 ||. I am indebted to Fabrizia Balidissera who helped me to understand some difficult passages of this speech and gave me interesting suggestions for its interpretation (personal communication of November 9, 2020).

68  Myths and Rituals 324 TR, mk, 59, 94ab: na strı ̄ na *ṣaṇḍo (em. ṣaṇḍho) na pumāṃ s tripurā ciccharı ̄riṇı ̄ | 94ab. Lakṣmı̄’s discourse (TR, mk, 59, 87–107b) is quoted and translated in Synopsis, Chapter 59. 325 TR, mk, 1, 3c: s ́ivarūpaṃ sá ktirūpaṃ || 3c ||. On this subject see Part II, Chapter 1. 326 TR, mk, 77, 60–61c: dadhyau śrı ̄lalitāpādapañkajaṃ niścalāntaraḥ | dhyeya­ mātrātmatāṃ yāvat prāpto bhaṇdạ mahāsuraḥ || 60 || tāvac chrīlalitādevī kāmeśas̄ treṇa yojitam | s ́araṃ mumoca bhaṇḍaȳ a … || 61 ||. 327 See Shulman 1976: 122. 328 This message, which is only summarized here, is found, in the words of Bhaṇḍa and in those of the messenger, in TR, mk, 61, 32c–36 and 52–53: nāhaṃ tvāṃ sundarı ̄ṃ devı ̄ṃ sarvathā saṃ śrayocitām || 32cd || vāñcāmi yoddhuṃ tat kasmān māṃ yoddhuṃ tvam ihāgatā | yuddhaśraddhā taveyaṃ vai sammataṃ mama sarvathā || 33 || na bibhemi mahāyuddhe tattvadyuddhe bhayaṃ kutaḥ | kiṃ tv ahaṃ tvāṃ priyākārāṃ dṣtṿ ā drutaṃ manobhavām || 34 || tatsurānạ m ̄ ̣ parityajya pakṣaṃ matsaṃ śrayā bhava | sāmnā yuddhena vāpi tvāṃ karomy ātmasamās ́rayām || 35 || madvirodhena te loke hānir eva na saṃ śayaḥ | vimśya itad drutataraṃ pakṣam ekataraṃ bhaja || 36 || … āvayor na virodho’sti kuto yoddhuṃ samāgatā | yuddhvāpy ayuddhvā vā devi bhūyas tvaṃ matsamās ́rayā || 52 || tattvām ātmapriyāṃ hdyāṃ yodhayāmi kathaṃ vada | tad devāṇ samparityajya bhava tvaṃ matsamās ́rayā || 53 ||. 329 See Shulman 1976: 123–124 and the textual reference given in note 16. 330 See Ibidem: 124ff. 331 As established by the mitigation of the curse of Lakṣmı̄, having long enjoyed the sovereignty over the worlds, after having been killed by the Goddess, he will attain a place in her abode and will never be born again. See TR, mk, 59, 82c–84b: prāpyānekāṇḍanāthatvaṃ bhuktvā bhogān yathepsitān || 82cd || mahādevyā hataḥ saṃ khye prāpya tallokasaṃ sthitam | prāpya tatra ciraṃ kālam asuraiḥ pratipūjitaḥ || 83 || ante tatpadam āsādya na bhūyaḥ saṃ bhaviṣyasi | 84ab. 332 See Part I, Chapter 4. 333 This topic is extensively discussed in Part II, Chapter 4.

4 The Island of Jewels and the Śrı ̄cakra

The Origin of the Island of Jewels The Śrı̄cakra plays an essential part in the cult of Tripurā, and yet it receives little attention in those parts of the TR that deal with ritual. Only in the LM is the Śrı̄cakra’s importance highlighted, and here it is transposed into a narrative element, becoming the centre of the abode of Tripurā in the Island of Jewels (maṇidvı ̄pa), as well as the pattern according to which Śrı̄pura, the stronghold city of Lalitā, is constructed. The description of the abode of Tripurā in the Island of Jewels occurs within the narration of the first deeds of the demon Bhaṇḍa who, after conquering the three worlds, then dispossesses the gods. These seek the help of Tripurā, propitiating her by a great sacrifice; as the Goddess manifests herself, rising from the fire of that sacrifice, Aṅgiras pays homage to her with a hymn of praise in which he addresses her as Lalitā.334 When she agrees to lend her support to the fight against the demon, Aṅgiras asks her to allow the gods to contemplate her all powerful form, but the Goddess replies that they were not qualified to behold her form in her own abode.335 Hence Tripurā/Lalitā takes up residence in a city built for her by Viśvakarman on mount Meru, a replica of her original abode in the Island of Jewels. It is Brahmā who, ordering the divine architect to build this city, gives him a detailed description of the mansion made of gems yielding all desires (cintāmaṇigṛha) in the maṇidvı ̄pa, to be regarded as the original mould according to which the city must be constructed.336 Later, in relating the origin of the Island of Jewels, Brahmā recounts that when the gods of the trimūrti were created by the Goddess and appointed to perform their respective cosmic functions, they entreated Tripurā to assume her form of Rājarājeśvarı̄, endowed with her attributes, to enable them to worship her and to accomplish their tasks. To comply with their request, Tripurā consented to appear in visible form in the Island of Jewels located in the midst of the ocean of nectar.337 Before discussing the description of the maṇidvı ̄pa provided in the LM, it is useful to compare its narrative context with those of the LU and the Devı ̄bhagavatapurāṇa (DBhPur),338 to be considered the main Purāṇic sources of the TR on this subject.339 DOI: 10.4324/9780429297380-6

70  Myths and Rituals In the LU, after Lalitā’s victory over the demon Bhaṇḍa, Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Śiva request Viśvakarman and Maya to build a mansion for her and her spouse Kāmeśvara. The divine architects are instructed to erect sixteen cities of the Goddess (Śrı̄nagarı̄, or Śrı̄pura), adorned with gems, in the centres of the sixteen spots sacred to Ṣoḍaśı;̄ there Lalitā, dividing herself into sixteen forms, was to dwell permanently, for the protection of the universe.340 The places in which the sixteen cities were to be built are said to be nine earthly, i.e. the great mountains beginning with mount Meru, and seven aquatic, i.e. the seven oceans of salt water, molasses, liquor, clarified butter, sour milk, milk, and fresh water; the cities were named after the sixteen Nityā goddesses.341 Thereafter, the LU gives a detailed description of Śrı̄pura, located on the peak of mount Meru. A comparison of these narrative contexts reveals several peculiarities: firstly, the LU mentions sixteen Śrı̄puras, corresponding to the sixteen Nityās, yet the text is limited to the description of the first of the terrestrial cities of the Goddess, located on mount Meru; in the LM instead, the city built on mount Meru is considered a replica of the original abode of Tripurā in the Island of Jewels; moreover, whereas the seven oceans mentioned in the LU recall the oceans surrounding the ring shaped continents of the Purāṇic cosmographies, in the LM the maṇidvı ̄pa rising in the midst of the ocean of nectar (sudhāsindhu) – by which the nectar of immortality (amṛta) is meant – stands out as an unique metaphysical locus. It should, however, be noted that the series of epithets related to the abode of the Goddess which appear in the LSN include the following: “Dwelling on the middle peak of mount Sumeru” (sumerumadhyaśṛṅgasthā), “Ruler of the beautiful city” (śrı ̄mannagaranāyikā), and also “Residing in the centre of the ocean of nectar” (sudhāsāgaramadhyasthā).342 In his commentary on these epithets Bhāskararāya explains that there are two kinds of cities: one located on mount Meru, mentioned in the Lalitāstavaratna, and another located in the Island of Gems (ratnadvı ̄pa) in the ocean of nectar, mentioned in the Rudrayāmala; he also refers to a city located in the ocean of milk, mentioned in the commentary on the Vidyāratna.343 These epithets prove that the idea of an abode of the Goddess on an island in the ocean of nectar was also acknowledged in the LU, of which the LSN is part, at least assuming that the LU and the LSN were coeval. The centrality of the maṇidvı ̄pa as abode of the Goddess is also attested in the DBhPur. The Island of Jewels is described in Chapters 10–12 of Book XII, but its narrative background is the account, in the first chapters of Book III, of the journey of the three great gods to the maṇidvı ̄pa. It is related that Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Rudra have been appointed by Devı̄ to perform their cosmic functions, but are not able to fulfil their tasks; hence the Goddess take them in her chariot studded with gems and sets off on a journey towards the heavens.344 The three gods, led by Devı̄, reach the Nandana garden of Indra, then the Brahmaloka, Kailāsa and Vaikuṇth ̣ a, which are ruled by doubles of Brahmā, Rudra and Viṣṇu. Finally, they reach the maṇidvı ̄pa, rising in the midst of the ocean of nectar (sudhāsāgara), where

The Island of Jewels and the Śrı ̄cakra  71 they behold a divine lady, seated in the middle of a six-pointed yantra, on a throne the legs of which were formed by the three gods and the bench by Sadāsí va. She was holding the noose and the goad and showing the varadaand abhaya-mudrās and was wearing earrings in the form of the Śrı̄cakra.345 Then the four-armed Goddess becomes thousand-eyed, with a thousand hands and a thousand feet, and Viṣṇu recognizes her as the universal Mother.346 As the gods approach the gate of the abode of the Goddess, she transforms them into females, and they spend one hundred years in the maṇidvipa in this form, paying homage to her with hymns of praise. Finally, the Goddess turns them into males again and, giving them their respective s ́aktis, Sarasvatı̄, Lakṣmı̄ and Gaurı̄, to enable them to perform their cosmic functions, she dismisses them.347 An attempt to interpret certain interesting details in this narration, such as the encounter of the three gods with their doubles, and their transformation into female devotees of Devı̄, is beyond the scope of the present discussion.348 But focusing on a comparison with the TR, it appears that in both texts the Goddess is described as showing, of her own free will, the Island of Jewels to the great gods who are unable to fulfil their tasks; moreover, the island surrounded by the ocean of nectar is regarded as the true abode of the ́ pura as a replica of Goddess. But in the DBhPur there is no mention of Srı̄ the maṇidvı ̄pa, as there is in the TR, let alone of sixteen such cities, as in the LU; in the DBhPur, the maṇidvı ̄pa is the sole abode of Devı̄, built by the Goddess herself above the worlds ruled by the great gods.349 The image conveyed by the TR of the Island/Śrı̄cakra surrounded by the ocean appears as a vivid, powerful illustration of the following verse from the YH: “This is the form in which the supreme splendour abides embodied as the Śrı̄cakra, surrounded by the sparkling waves of her multitudinous energies.”350 Padoux explains: The supreme splendour is the supreme godhead, Tripurasundarı̄, in her cosmic aspect as the Śrı̄cakra, with all the deities that animate it surrounding her. The image is that of a central throbbing core of light and power surrounded, as by the waves of a sea, by the energies emanating from this centre.351

The Island of Jewels The outline of the Island of Jewels given in the LM of the TR352 is based on the longer and more detailed description of Śrı̄pura in the LU,353 as well as on that of the maṇidvı ̄pa found in the DBhPur.354 Since Chapter 54 of the Synopsis reproduces in detail the original text of the TR, the reader may refer to it directly; the following analysis focuses on commenting its content and comparing it with the corresponding descriptions of the LU and the DBhPur. The innermost dwelling place of the Goddess in the maṇidvı ̄pa is surrounded by a series of ramparts, the spaces between which are inhabited

72  Myths and Rituals by various deities. A first series of eight ramparts is made of increasingly precious metals. In the TR, in the space between the iron and the bronze ramparts the eightfold Mahākāla dwells with his śakti Kālı̄. Mahākāla, also called Kālabhairava, is a fierce form of Śiva, and is well known and worshipped in medieval India;355 his being eightfold may refer to the bhairavāṣtạ ka, a group of eight bhairavas.356 In the LU, inside the iron rampart, Mahākāla, the devourer of the worlds (sarvalokabhakṣaka, LU, 32, 2cd), is accompanied by his beloved Mahākālı̄ and attended by Kāla (Time) and Mṛtyu (Death). His abode (kālacakra, Ibidem, 7a) reveals his dual nature of universal destroyer and regulator of the divisions and cycles of time. This abode is structured like a yantra, where Mahākāla dwells in the centre (bindu), surrounded by circles (āvaraṇa) constituted by a triangle, a pentagon, a sixteen-petalled lotus and an eight-petalled lotus, inhabited respectively by the śaktis presiding over the three sandhyās, the five parts of the day, the parts and units of time and the years forming a yuga. Mahākāla is not mentioned in the corresponding enclosure of the DBhPur. The spaces inside the successive metal ramparts, made of copper, lead, brass, an alloy of five metals, silver and gold,357 are inhabited by the Season deities with their respective months/śaktis. The three texts present slight discrepancies in the distribution of the Season deities within the metal ramparts. In the TR, only five Season deities are mentioned, the space inside the gold rampart being inhabited by Mantriṇı ̄ instead of the cool season, as in both the LU and the DBhPur. Moreover, unlike the TR and the DBhPur, the LU provides a detailed description of the abode of Spring (vasantacakra) inside the bronze rampart. Spring dwells in the central bindu, embracing his śaktis and holding a goblet of wine and a piece of meat; the bindu is surrounded by seven āvaraṇas: a triangle, a pentagon, an eight-petalled lotus, a sixteen-petalled lotus, two ten-petalled lotuses and a square, presided over by various śaktis.358 As in the case of Mahākāla, in his function of regulator of the temporal cycles, in the same way, the Season deities, who are all located within the outer enclosures of the abode of the Goddess, represent the temporal dimension of the world manifested by the divine Energy. As regards the maṇidvı ̄pa as a yantra,359 in the first stages of his meditation-visualization aimed at the contemplation of the Goddess dwelling in the centre of the island, the devotee is supposed to actualize the unfolding of the world within its time frames and limits. Next is a series of ramparts made of increasingly precious gems.360 The TR and the LU have similar distributions, with slight variants, of various semi-divine, human and divine beings dwelling in the spaces inside the first nine ramparts made of different gems, up to the abode of Viṣṇu inside the nine gems rampart in the TR and a ruby maṇḍapa in the LU, and the abode of Śiva inside the manifold gems rampart in both texts. Compared to the outline given in the TR, the description provided in the LU is much more detailed, similar to that found in the DBhPur, which presents major variants compared to the other two texts. In the DBhPur the topaz rampart

The Island of Jewels and the Śrı ̄cakra  73 is inhabited by the dikpālas, who are duly enumerated; the ruby, gomeda (hessonite), diamond, cat’s eye (cymophane), sapphire, pearl, and coral ramparts harbour various groups of śaktis, of fierce war goddesses and of ministers, as well as the goddesses of the five elements, all forming the retinue of Devı̄; inside the emerald rampart dwell Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Rudra, Kubera, Kāma and Gaṇeśa with their respective consorts; inside the nine gems rampart abide the ten Mahāvidyās and the deities presiding over the scriptural transmissions (āmnāya) and the great mantras.361 As for the TR and the LU, from the viewpoint of the meditating devotee, his mental visualization progresses from the outer metal enclosures and proceeds towards the series of gem ramparts inhabited by beings abiding in heaven, earth and the nether world, marking thus the passage from awareness of the temporal cycles of the world to contemplation of the space dimension of the universe, whose three worlds are filled with their respective inhabitants. Although these beings are not always consistently distributed inside the progressive ramparts, there is an implicit hierarchy among them. It proceeds from the daityas and nāgas living in the nether world, to the human beings with, among them, the munis, yogins and siddhas dwelling on the earth, to the heavenly beings, such as cāraṇa s and – in the LU only – gandharvas, apsaras, kinnaras and kimpuruṣas, up to the divine beings, including the dikpālas, bhairavas, yoginı ̄s and goddesses, ́ and the gods Brahmā (only in the LU), Viṣnu ̣ and Siva. At this stage of his meditative realization, the devotee should actualize the unfolding of the entire universe with its multifarious beings. In the DBhPur instead, the gem ramparts host the different groups of śaktis and goddesses forming the retinue of Devı̄ and surrounding her mansion in the centre of the island. In the subsequent description of this, there is no mention of the symbolic enclosures which come after the gem ramparts in the TR and the LU. In both the TR and the LU, the names of the successive ramparts – manas (“mind”), buddhi (“intellect”) and ahaṃ kāra (“egoity”) – clearly indicate that the meditative path of the adept should progress through and beyond the boundaries of his limited, individual consciousness, represented by manas, buddhi and ahaṃ kāra, until he realizes his final identification with the supreme Consciousness, personified by the Goddess dwelling in the centre of the mystical island. In the TR, there is a pond inside the rampart of manas filled with the nectar of immortality (amṛta) where, on a boat made of nine types of gems, the saviour goddess Tārā carries the devotees across the ocean of saṃ sāra (bhaktaughatāriṇı ̄, v. 46b). The more detailed text of the LU reads: [There is] a great rampart called mind, adorned with all kinds of gems. [2cd] … The entire space inside that enclosure is [occupied by] the pond of the nectar of immortality; [3cd] by drinking this [nectar] yogins and siddhas acquire a diamond body [and] become very powerful and wise men. Truly that elixir vitae (rasāyana362) becomes the

74  Myths and Rituals beverage made of the nectar coming from the pond; only by smelling its fragrance shall one become master of the desired extraordinary powers. [4–5]363 The text continues by stating that this enclosure is guarded by Tārā, surrounded by her dark blue hued female attendants in their boats of various shapes. A possible Buddhist influence can be detected, in both the TR and the LU, by the presence of Tārā and, later, of Kurukullā, who were thus incorporated into the Tripurā/Lalitā pantheon and cult.364 Tārā, a goddess who can assume both gentle and fierce forms, was originally prominent in Tibetan Buddhism, where she was mainly venerated as a compassionate saviour. Included among the Hindu Mahāvidyās, in Hindu Tantric texts she was worshipped in her fierce form, especially in rituals belonging to the left hand practice (vāmācāra).365 Whereas the TR emphasizes her function of saviour, the LU stresses her fierce aspect linked with magic rituals. It is also suggested that, thanks to the powers of the rasāyana, the reward for those who abide within this enclosure, or the outcome of the corresponding stage of meditation for the sādhaka, should be the attainment of an adamantine, mighty, hence immortal body (vajrakāya), and the acquisition of extraordinary, magic powers (siddhi). Further on, in the TR, within the rampart of buddhi is the pond of bliss (ānanda) guarded by the goddess Amṛteśı ̄ who, accompanied by her śaktis, is said to enjoy spirituous liquor (surā). In the parallel description of the LU, the ānanda pond is inside this enclosure, and is filled with a divine wine (madya) which makes the śaktis mad with passion; the enclosure is guarded by Vāruṇı,̄ also called Sudhāmālinı̄ or Amṛteśvarı̄, who inebriates the three worlds by her glance and holds a cup of wine (madirā) and a piece of cooked meat (piśita). This detail may allude to the vāmācāra ritual, with its offerings of the pañcamakāra, namely madya (“wine”), matsya (“fish”), māṃ sa (“meat”), mudrā (“grains”) and maithuna (“sexual union”); but among these, only wine and meat are mentioned in the text, and the term madya is used only to designate the liquid contained in the pond. Nonetheless, a possible reference to this Tantric rite, restricted to experienced initiates only, would harmonize with the pursuit of the siddhis mentioned above. Approaching the last of this set, in the TR inside the rampart of ahaṃ kāra is the pond called reflective awareness (vimarśa), where the sap of knowledge (jñānarasa) flows; it is guarded by the goddess Kurukullā who dispenses the sap, “with which [men], by imbibing just a drop, free themselves from the pain arising from ignorance and see the reality of the world clearly.”366 The term vimarśa evokes the dynamic, creative pole of the divine Consciousness, the self-awareness and free action characterizing the Śakti versus the pure light (prakās ́a), conscious light and luminous consciousness, represented by Śiva; at the individual level of the meditating adept, vimarśa represents the momentum of awareness of his true self, from

The Island of Jewels and the Śrı ̄cakra  75 which the sap of the liberating knowledge springs. The text thus alludes to a cognitive process, the outcome of which is the highest gnosis. In the LU, inside the ahaṃ kāra rampart is “a pond called vimars á which has the nature of the amṛta [filling the] suṣumnā; [this] supreme amṛta awakes in the expansion of the suṣumnā when the inner mind of the great yogins is filled with wind.”367 Whereas the TR emphasizes the gnostic purport of this meditative stage, the LU lays stress on a yogic practice which might even grant immortality (amṛta). In the LU too this enclosure is guarded by the dark hued Kurukullā in her boat, accompanied by her attendants. Originally Kurukullā was “most likely an Indian tribal deity incorporated into the Buddhist pantheon, an independent goddess associated with magical domination.”368 She became a fierce form of Tārā, worshipped in magic rites aimed at the subjugation of evil spirits and the destruction of enemies.369 Neither the TR nor the LU allude to such magical rites, but the presence of Kurukullā in the maṇidvı ̄pa may be explained by her association with Lalitā and with the Nityā goddesses. In fact, in the Tantrarājatantra (TRT) – an influential treatise, post-dating both the NṢA and the YH, and which, like the TR, follows the Kādimata form of the Śrı̄vidyā370 – Kurukullā is said to be a limb (aṅga) of Lalitā and is regarded as the recipient of the bali offerings made to the sixteen Nityās at the end of their cult (pūjā). She is described as red, naked, with loose and dishevelled hair, holding arrow, bow, noose, and quiver in her four hands;371 in her daily worship her mantra is the same as that of Tārā.372 These features, along with Kurukullā’s association with Tārā, justify thus her presence in this part of the maṇidvı ̄pa. Further on, in the TR, is the rampart of the Sun, presided over by Sūrya in his twelve forms beginning with Mārtāṇḍabhairava. The LU adds that inside this great enclosure, where the heat of the early morning sun spreads, and planets, constellations and stars illuminate the world, Mārtāṇḍabhairava shines in his twelve forms, with his śaktis Mahāprakāsá ̄ (“great light”) and Cakṣuṣmatı̄ (“sight”), and with the goddess Chāyā (“shadow”). Then, inside the rampart of the hare-marked (śaśaṅka) Moon, in the TR the king (rājan) Soma spreads his rays of nectar; in the LU at the doorway of the moonlight, the Lord (nātha) Soma, Śaśin yet stainless, drinks nectar with his śaktis called Tārās. In the innermost enclosure, in both the TR and the LU, within the rampart of love (śṛṅgāra), made of kaustubha gems, is a moat filled with pure erotic rapture/sap (śṛṅgārarasa), presided by Kāma. The TR adds that Kāma, the best among Tripurā’s devotees, is in his boat called śṛṅgāra, made of kaustubha gems, accompanied by Rati, and attended by crores of replicas of himself and of Rati. In the LU, following a brief description of this enclosure, from which the mansion of the Goddess in the forest of the great lotus (mahāpadmātạ vı ̄)373 is entered, it is specified who is, or is not, qualified to gain access to this forest. After praising the powers of Kāma, the passage continues as follows:

76  Myths and Rituals To gain a place in the forest of the great lotus, confused by his (Kāma’s) power, [those who are] dressed in pure garments and are full of devotion for Lalitā, by an attentive mind, reach a place in the forest of the great lotus. [64] Indeed celestial siddhas, men and gods are not able to approach [it]; but Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Maheśvara, who by nature have pure minds, with her (Lalitā’s) permission reach the highest place in the forest of the great lotus. [65] Men attached to mundane existence, blind with passion, forming in their imagination manifold desires, and high born men irresolute because of doubtful knowledge, [immersed in] the abyss of great passions, are not clear sighted [enough] to cross over the moat of the great love that causes mental confusion [even] to mature people. [66–67] Since he is of invincible loveliness, infatuating living beings in the three worlds, Smara is entitled to preside over the moat of great love. [68] After having passed through all his seductions, that delude even great men, nobody is fit to approach the forest of the great lotus. [69]374 This passage suggests that the contemplation of the abode of the Goddess and the possibility of attaining a place therein are conditional on the ability to go through and overcome the delusions of the god of love, who can lead even mature and great people astray. Kāma, the best among Tripurā/Lalitā’s devotees, is the embodiment of all the qualities associated with the Goddess’s saundarya, namely beauty, loveliness, grace, seductive power, and yet he personifies the danger of bewilderment inherent in such qualities. Only a few initiates possess the spiritual maturity that allows them to fully experience and savour the joy and bliss promised by the ever-deluding Lord of desire, while at the same time maintaining their inner clarity of mind and ultimate detachment. Only those who, like the three great gods, have pure minds (śuddhacitta) can cross this moat and approach the core of Śrı̄pura/maṇidvı ̄pa.375 At this point, in both the TR and the LU the description of the abode of the Goddess with her consort commences, whereas in the DBhPur this description directly follows that of the enclosures of metals and gems. In the TR, beyond the śṛṅgāra rampart is the forest of the great lotus (mahāpadmavana), where the mansion of Tripurā stands, made of gems yielding all desires (cintāmaṇigṛha). It has four doors376 and is surrounded by a support of Fire. Inside this support is the vessel of the Sun containing the spirituous nectar of immortality. The full Moon, emanating its nectarean rays, sits in a boat swaying in the waves of this nectar. The latter is the beverage of the śaktis who dwell in the Śrı̄cakra and in the forest of the great lotus (mahāpadmātạ vı ̄). In the South-East of the cintāmaṇigṛha is a great altar, girdled with three cavities, where the fire of Consciousness, the progenitor of Tripurā, blazes. In the West is a disc-like chariot: studded with gems, with nine steps, the ten senses are its horses, the mind its charioteer, the scriptural transmissions (amnāya) its wheels, the yoga its reins, the wind its flag, the sky its canopy. It is as vast as the whole universe. In the centre

The Island of Jewels and the Śrı ̄cakra  77

of the cintāmaṇigṛha the Lord of the Śrı̄cakra dwells, together with the goddesses of the nine enclosures. On a throne formed by the five great gods beginning with Brahmā (pañcabrahmātmamañcake) shines Tripurā, seated on the left thigh of Kāmeśvara. The locution pañcabrahmātmamañcake is elucidated in Chapter 55, where details are provided about the throne of the Goddess: its red bench is fashioned by a portion (aṃ s ́a) of Sadāsí va and has the same form (mūrti) of this god, the legs of the throne are made from the powers of Iś̄ a, Rudra, Hari and Vidhi, the seat itself is made of the essence of the earth and the pillow of the peaks of mount Meru.377 In the parallel description of the LU, the cintāmaṇigṛha378 is the great dwelling of the chief of the cakras, i.e. the Śrı̄cakra.379 In the forest of the great lotus in the East is the arghya vessel whose support is the Fire god, accompanied by his ten śaktis/kalās. The vessel itself is the Sun god Sūrya, surrounded by his twelve sparkling kalās; the vessel contains the nectarean offerings (arghyāmṛta), made of the kalās/digits of the Moon, destined for the worship of Lalitā. Brahmā, Hari, Rudra, Iś̄ vara and Śaṅkara also abide here with their respective śaktis/kalās. South-East of the cintāmaṇigṛha is an altar where the fire of Consciousness (cidvahni) blazes, fed by nectar (sudhā); Lalitā and Kāmeśvara act as hotṛs, protecting the world and inciting Kāma. In the South-West is the Cakrarāja chariot, which has nine steps and becomes narrower as it rises; the four Vedas are its wheels and the four puruṣar̄ thas (“goals of man”) its horses.380 In the North-West is the Geyacakra chariot of Mantriṇı ̄ and in the North-East the Giricakra chariot of Daṇḍanathā. In the cintāmaṇigṛha, that becomes narrower as it rises, are three crowns which are forms of icchā, kriyā, jñāna. It has four doors: the Eastern door is the Pūr vāmnāya, the Southern the Dakṣiṇam ̄ nāya, the Western the Pas ́cı ̄māmnāya and the Northern the Uttarāmnāya. In its centre is the great pı ̄ṭha named binducakra, or bindunāda. Here stands the throne upon which Lalitā sits on the lap of Śiva Kāmeśvara:381 its four legs are Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Maheśāna and Iś̄ vara, its bench is Sadāsí va.382 Thirty-six steps in the form of tattvas lead to the throne, over which is a bed adorned with sixty-four pots.383 Remarkably, the LU states explicitly that the cintāmṇigṛha, the mansion of the Goddess in the heart of Śrı̄pura (alias maṇidvı ̄pa in the TR), is the abode of the Śrı̄cakra, a statement justified on account of the identification of the Śrı̄cakra with the Goddess, hence her abode can be said to be the abode of the Śrı̄cakra. It might thus be asserted that the LU is describing a yantra (the Śrı̄cakra) inside another yantra (Śrı̄pura or maṇidvı ̄pa). From the viewpoint of the meditating adept, the visualization of Śrı̄pura, or of the Island of Jewels, with all its wondrous, vivid features, is to be regarded as a preparation for the contemplation of the Goddess in her more abstract, aniconic form, the Śrı̄cakra. In their depictions of the cintāmaṇigṛha, the TR and the LU mention similar items, to which different meanings may be attributed. The vessel filled with amṛta, which in the LU is the offering (arghya) constituting

78  Myths and Rituals one of the services rendered to the Goddess in her daily cult, in the TR is intended instead to provide the beverage for the śaktis dwelling in the Śrı̄cakra. In both texts the presence of the three lights – Fire, Sun and Moon – evokes both the luminous nature of the Goddess, as well as her three eyes,384 while the altar where the fire of Consciousness burns is suggestive of the origin of Tripurā/Lalitā. The Goddess’s chariot is itself a Śrı̄cakra, with its nine steps reproducing the ninefold structure of the diagram, but the two texts differ in the symbolic correspondences ascribed to the various parts of the chariot. An interesting detail in the LU is that the chariot and the cintāmṇigṛha are said to become narrower as they rise; this is an allusion to the three-dimensional images of the Śrı̄cakra that occur in the iconography, in which this diagram may be fashioned in a pyramidal form, the nine levels of which are deemed to represent the progressive steps/stages of the adept’s meditation.385 Another detail found only in the LU is the presence of the three crowns symbolizing the powers of will, action and knowledge (icchā-, kriyā-, jñāna-śakti). In both texts the cintāmṇigṛha has four doors, but whereas in the TR these stand for the four Vedas, in the LU, more appropriately, they give symbolic access to the four scriptural transmissions of the Kulamārga. The throne of Tripurā/Lalitā in the centre of the cintāmaṇigṛha is described in the same way in both texts,386 but the LU adds some symbolic details: the steps leading to the throne are the same number as the thirty-six principles (tattva) of the Śaiva ontology,387 and the pots adorning the throne are the same number as the sixty-four yoginı ̄s.388 In the case of the parallel description of the DBhPur, in the cintāmaṇigṛha, which has thousands of pillars and a lotus tank filled with nectar, are four pavilions. They are the pavilion of love (śṛṅgāramaṇḍapa) where Devı̄ listen to the singing chanted by all deities, the pavilion of liberation (muktimaṇḍapa) where she frees the jı ̄vas from bondage, the pavilion of knowledge (jñānamaṇḍapa) where she imparts her teachings, and the secret pavilion (ekāntamaṇḍapa) where she confers with her companions (sakhı ̄ ) about her cosmic functions. As for the throne of Devı̄, its staircases are the ten śaktitattvas, its four legs are Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Rudra and Maheśvara, its bench is Sadāsí va. There Bhuvaneśvarı̄ sits on the left thigh of Bhuvaneśvara, who was once created by her from the right side of her body. He is crystal white, five-faced, each face having three eyes, he holds the deer and the axe and shows the abhāya- and varada- mudrās. Bhuvaneśvarı̄ is adorned with earrings in the form of Śrı̄cakra, her crown is shining with the Sun and the Moon, she holds the noose and the goad, and shows the varadaand abhāya-mudrās. She is surrounded by her śaktis, Icchā, Jñāna and Kriyā. The cintāmaṇigṛha contracts and expands at the times of dissolution and creation of the universe. The devotees of Devı̄ abide there, experiencing the four states of liberation: sālokya, sāmı ̄pya, sārūpya and sārṣtị .389 A first distinctive element in the description of the DBhPur is the presence of the four pavilions, which correspond to aspects of the Goddess’s activity: the fulfilment of her cosmic functions (ekāntamaṇḍapa),

The Island of Jewels and the Śrı ̄cakra  79 her propitiation by the gods (śṛṅgāramaṇḍapa), her bestowal of grace upon her devotees, granting them salvific knowledge (jñānamaṇḍapa) and liberation (muktimaṇḍapa). The description of the throne conforms with that found in the TR and the LU, apart from the detail that the steps leading up to it are said to be the ten śaktitattvas. This statement is difficult to explain, because in the Tantric system of thirty-six tattvas, eleven higher principles are added to the twenty-five tattvas of the classical Sāṃkhya, and these are not labelled as śaktitattvas. Since there is no general agreement in the scriptures about the classifications of the tattvas, the text may present, or refer to, a particular variant of such classifications. The fact that the Goddess and her consort are represented with the attributes characteristic of Tripurā and Śiva Kāmeśvara suggests that the supreme Devı̄ celebrated in this Purāṇa is to be identified with Tripurā, thereby revealing the influence of the Śrı̄vidyā tradition. Moreover, the connection of the cintāmaṇigṛha with the Śrı̄cakra is recognizable in the statement that the former contracts and expands at the times of dissolution and creation of the universe.390 This indeed applies to the dynamic nature of the Śrı̄cakra, conceived as the throbbing model of the divine Energy manifesting and reabsorbing all things. The same dynamic also characterizes the meditative practice in which the adept should contemplate the Śrı̄cakra by progressing from its central bindu towards its outer constituent parts, thereby retracing the process of expansionmanifestation of the universe; subsequently, he should proceed from the outer parts to the centre, actualizing the reverse process of contractionreabsorption of the universe into its ultimate source, the Goddess dwelling in the centre of the diagram. The cintāmaṇigṛha is also envisaged in the DBhPur as the mythical dwelling place of the Goddess that can be reached by her devotees. There they may enjoy various kinds or stages of liberation, namely: being in the same world of Devı̄ (sālokya), being in intimacy with her (sāmı ̄pya), having the same nature as her (sārūpya), attaining equal condition and power as her (sārṣtị ). To discuss the concept of liberation advocated by the DBhPur would be beyond the scope of the present discussion, but it is worth remarking that sāyujya, the union with the godhead which generally occupies the fourth place in similar classifications of forms of liberation,391 is here replaced by sārṣtị . If these spiritual states are considered in a hierarchical order, as progressive stages of liberation, then rating at the highest level the divinization of the devotee, rather than his union with the Goddess, reveals the influence of a Tantric outlook on this text. Those portions of the LU and the DBhPur dealing with the maṇidvı̄pa/ Śrı̄pura – the principal features of which are outlined in the present analysis – and to a lesser extent the TR also, furnish ample and detailed descriptions of the Island of Jewels/City of the Goddess, framed in complex narrative contexts and abounding in iconographic and symbolic details often illustrated by poetic images. Notwithstanding the literary, poetic flavour of these descriptions, these texts also contain statements alluding to, or even

80  Myths and Rituals explaining, the symbolic significance of the elements composing these wondrous landscapes. The true nature of the maṇidvı ̄pa, to be considered as a yantra to be meditated upon, is clearly acknowledged in the Tantric sources which may have inspired the author(s) of the TR: these are the PKS and the Kulārṇavatantra (KaT), both texts belonging to what Sanderson labels as the later developments of the Kulamārga.392 In its third khaṇḍa entitled sŕ ı ̄krama – dealing with the morning ritual, the construction of the Śrı̄cakra and the arghya offerings – the PKS contains a prescription for a meditation and worship of the maṇidvı ̄pa, which is to be visualized, while uttering certain mantras, in the great cakra (the Śrı̄cakra). The relevant passage provides a description of the Island of Jewels in the form of an invocation, where homage (namaḥ) is paid to each part of the abode of the Goddess. The passage runs as follows: in the midst of the ocean of nectar (amṛta), the Island of Jewels has gardens adorned with heavenly trees; its enclosures are made of gems, namely, topaz, ruby, gomedha, diamond, cat’s eye, sapphire, pearl, emerald, and coral; there is a pavilion of ruby and a pavilion with a thousand pillars, and ponds filled with nectar (amṛta), bliss (ānanda) and reflective awareness (vimarsá ); the heat of the morning sun and the moonlight spread on the great moat filled with love (sŕ ̣ṅgāra) and the forest of the great lotus. The Queen (Tripurasundarı̄) dwells in the cintāmaṇigṛha, the Eastern door of which is made of the Pūr vāmnāya, the Southern of the Dakṣiṇam ̄ nāya, the Western of the Pasć imāmnāya and the Northern of the Uttarāmnāya. Her great throne studded with jewels is encircled by shining gems, its legs are formed by Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Rudra and Iśvara and its bench by Sadāsí va; the couch and its great cushion are filled with soft goose (haṃ sa) feathers, it is covered with a cloth dyed with safflower, it has a large canopy and a large curtain.393 The features of the maṇidvı ̄pa mentioned in this passage are the same encountered in the TR and in its Purāṇic sources. It should be noted, however, that whereas in the LU the sole cintāmaṇigṛha is said to be the abode of the Śrı̄cakra,394 in the PKS the whole maṇidvipa is imagined as being located in the Śrı̄cakra.395 This discrepancy may refer to variants in the prescribed meditation: the close association between the two yantras, maṇidvı ̄pa/Srı̄pura and Śrı̄cakra, is present in both texts, but whereas in the LU the Śrı̄cakra coincides with the cintāmaṇigṛha in the centre of Srı̄pura, in the PKS the two yantras are fully overlapping. Another Tantric text that deals with the maṇidvı ̄pa, skipping the detailed description of the Island of Jewels to focus on its function as support for meditation, is the KaT, dating from after the 12th century CE. The KaT “expounds a new form of Kaulism that it refers to as the Ūrdhvāmnāya or Upper Tradition, thereby claiming, like the cult of Tripurasundarı̄, superiority over the forms of Śākta Śaivism that preceded it.”396 In its fourth chapter (ullāsa) – which deals with the great mantra of the Ūrdhvāmnāya, its nyāsa and meditation (dhyāna) – the maṇidvı ̄pa is mentioned in connection with a meditation on the ardhanarı ̄sv́ ara (“the

The Island of Jewels and the Śrı ̄cakra  81 Lord who is half female”), whose cult is taught in this Tantra. This deity is said to be visualized in the shining Island of Jewels rising in the midst of the ocean of nectar, [108cd] in a pavilion of ruby located in a forest of wishing trees, seated on the triangle within the lotus that is on a splendid throne studded with nine gems. [109–110a]397 Furthermore, in the sixth chapter – which discusses the qualifications required for the worshipper (pūjaka) and the purifying rituals preceding the cult of the deity – it is said that before beginning the pūjā, the devotee should visualize himself in the abode of the Goddess in the Island of Jewels: One should think of the pavilion of ruby [rising] on the level ground round the feet of the wishing trees [within] the flaming enclosure of gems, in the Island of Jewels [which is] in [the midst of] the ocean of nectar; [13] having meditated with a calm mind on one’s self [as] staying in that pavilion, [as] richly endowed with a variety of garlands of flowers, concealed by a covering cloth, illuminated by a camphor lamp, perfumed with the fragrance of the incense, [then] with the permission of the venerable spiritual teacher, one should perform the Kula cult, o Goddess. [14–15]398 These passages reveal that the maṇidvı ̄pa is not only conceived as the abode of the deity – here represented as ardhanarı ̄śvara, the personification of the perfect union between Śiva and Śakti – but also as the abode for the self of the devotee, providing the setting for his divinization that alone qualifies him to perform the cult of the Goddess.

The Śrı̄cakra ́ cakra Returning to the TR, the link between the maṇidvı ̄pa and the Srı̄ is once again articulated by means of a narrative device. After Brahmā had concluded his description of the Island of Jewels, he explained to Viśvakarman that, when Tripurā showed herself to the gods, seated on her throne with her consort Kāmeśvara, the gods prompted her to have a retinue (parivāra). Hence, she created Mahātripurasundarı̄ out of her own body as a reflection of herself (pratibimbavat) and appointed her to create a śakticakra with its circles of surrounding śaktis/goddesses (s ́aktyāvaraṇa) to form her retinue.399 What is expressed here in the form of a narrative incident refers in fact to the process of emanation, by the divine Energy, of the Śrı̄cakra and of the deities abiding in its constituent parts. The text of the TR thus appears to be an illustration of this verse of the KKV: “When She, this all-excelling Great Queen changes into the form of the Cakra, then the limbs of Her body change into āvaraṇa-devatās.”400 In the words of

82  Myths and Rituals the YH: “When She, the Supreme Power, [becoming] out of her own free will embodied as all that exists, perceives herself as flashing forth, the cakra then appears. [9c–10b]”401 Padoux explains: The apparition of the śrı ̄cakra is therefore described … in terms of a cosmic process that simultaneously manifests the geometric pattern of the śrı ̄cakra and brings about the apparition of the deities that abide in the cakra and animate, nay manifest it, by their power.402 It should be noted that Tripurā’s creation of Mahātripurasundarı̄ who, as a reflection of herself brings about the emanation of the deities presiding over the constituent parts of the Śrı̄cakra, is another instance of the motif of the double, which occurs at several points in the mk: in the episode of Kāma and Tripurā/Kāmākṣı̄, the Goddess creates a double of the god of love, and it is this replica that is incinerated by Śiva; Śrı̄pura, the city built on the peak of mount Meru, is described as a reflection of the divine abode in the Island of Jewels. This recurrence of the idea of the double, or reflection, in crucial episodes of the mk may be interpreted as a sort of transposition in narrative terms of the concept of reflection, which is elaborated in the doctrinal teachings of the TR under the influence of the abhāsavāda.403 As regards the distribution of the śaktis on the Śrı̄cakra, the present study provides an analysis of the text of the TR in which consideration will be given to the relevant parallels in the YH, as well as in later texts which might have inspired the author(s) of the TR, such as the TRT and the KKV; a comparison will also be drawn with the LU which, on this subject also, may be considered as a reference source for the TR. The extracts from the YH which will be examined are mainly from the third chapter (pūjāsaṃ keta) and concern the s ́rı̄cakrapūjā, which is the cult of Tripurasundarı̄ and of the goddesses of her retinue, who surround her and who dwell in the constituent parts of the Śrı̄cakra. Each of these goddesses, called yoginı̄ s, presides over a particular supernatural, magic power (siddhi), and their worship also has the aim of obtaining these powers. But this pūjā, performed by the adept by means of complex practices of visualizing meditation and kuṇḍaliṇı ̄yoga, is above all a spiritual path, an existential experience aimed at the attainment of liberation in this life (jı ̄vanmukti), which is brought about through the identification of the adept with the Goddess. The ritual worship is structured accordingly, being oriented from the outer circles of the diagram, representing the manifested empirical world, to the central bindu, abode of Tripurā, so that the adept progressively actualizes and identifies with the cosmic play of the Goddess, until the cosmos and himself are finally reabsorbed into the godhead.404 The śrı ̄cakrapūjā is preceded by a series of complex rites, the most relevant of which, for the present purpose, is the śrı ̄cakranyāsa, the imposition of the Śrı̄cakra and its deities on the limbs of the adept’s body.

The Island of Jewels and the Śrı ̄cakra  83 Through this rite, which is performed in both directions, proceeding first from the outer circles of the Śrı̄cakra towards its centre, then in the reverse order, the body of the adept is progressively purified and permeated with the powerful presence of the deities of the Śrı̄cakra and, in primis, of the Goddess, thereby preparing his identification with the godhead which will be perfected by the śrı ̄cakrapūjā.405 The text of the TR outlines the geometric pattern of the Śrı̄cakra, which has a pyramidal structure,406 and adds that this was created by Tripurā at the request of Mahātripurasundarı̄ as an abode for the s ́aktis.407 In the LU the deities forming the retinue of Lalitā are located on places (antara) ascending along the pyramidal structure of the cintāmaṇigṛha which, as mentioned above, is to be identified with the Śrı̄cakra.408 The analysis which follows conforms to the order of the s ́rı ̄cakrapūjā in the YH, the saṃ hārakrama (“order of reabsorption”), from the outer parts towards the centre of the Śrı̄cakra. In the YH, on the lines of the three outer squares forming the cakra named trailokyamohana (“deceiving the three worlds”) or caturasra (“quadrangular figure”) or bhūgṛha (“underground chamber”), the prakaṭa (“manifest”) yoginı ̄s abide and are to be worshipped: “They are known as manifest for they are [located in a cakra] whose nature is to support the gross world”;409 in fact, this external portion of the diagram corresponds to the level of the manifested universe.410 Accordingly, on the line of the external square the divinized forms of the siddhis, beginning with Aṇimā, abide and are worshipped;411 on the line of the middle square are the eight Mothers (aṣtạ mātṛkā), beginning with Brahmı̄;412 on the line of the internal square are the divinized forms of the mudrās – to be regarded as aspects of divine Energy, deities, and hand gestures413 – beginning with Sarvasaṃkṣobhiṇı.̄ 414 After meditating upon and worshipping these goddesses in their respective places, then Tripurā is to be worshipped as the deity presiding over the trailokyamohanacakra;415 she purifies the hands with which the officiant performs the ritual acts, and grants the siddhi of aṇimā, which brings the self of the adept to its finest state.416 Before collating this distribution of the deities on the quadrangular figures with that found in the TR, it should be noted that in the YH the term prakaṭa, applied to the yoginı ̄s abiding on the quadrangular cakra, designates the first of nine groups of yoginı ̄s, namely: prakaṭa (“manifest”), gupta (“secret”), guptatara (“very secret”), sampradāya (“traditional”), kulakaula, nigarbha (“interior”), rahasya (“hidden”), atirahasya (“very hidden”) and parāpararahasya, placed on the constituent parts of the Śrı̄cakra.417 In the TR instead these terms become, with slight variants, the names of yoginı ̄s created by Mahātripurasundarı̄, namely: Prakaṭā, Guptā, Guptatarā, Sampradāyā, Kulottı̄rṇā, Nigarbhā, Rahasyakā, Atirahasyā and Parāpararahasyakā, who in their turn create the deities located in their respective circles.418 The TR thus replaces categories of yoginı ̄s with individual goddesses.

84  Myths and Rituals As in the YH, in the TR too, the divinized forms of the ten siddhis, the aṣtạ mātṛkās and the divinized forms of the ten mudrās are arranged in three quadrangular ascending areas/storeys (bhūmikā) of the three-dimensional Śrı̄cakra.419 In the LU, the śaktis dwelling in the threefold antara forming the trailokyamohanacakra are called prakaṭa,̄ as in the YH. They are the same as in the YH and the TR, except for the śaktis/siddhis: these are counted in crores, and to the list of the principal ones is added Garimā, while Mukti replaces Bhukti. The presiding deity of this cakra (cakranāyikā) is Tripurā, and its protectress (cakrapālanakarı ̄ ) is the mudrā Saṃkṣobhaṇā.420 On the sixteen-petalled lotus in the YH are the śaktis, who make various entities appear – such as buddhi, ahaṃ kāra etc. – by “attracting them” (ākarṣaṇa,421 forming the ending of all their names422). The yoginı ̄s abiding in this circle of the Śrı̄cakra are called gupta because they preside over the inner faculties; they also animate the vital breaths and are associated with the sixteen vowels. The siddhi obtained through their worship is laghimā, the lightness consisting of the purification of the vital breaths; the presiding deity is Tripureśı.̄ 423 In the TR the same goddesses, located in the same place, are said to be created by Guptā.424 In the LU, above the place of the mudrās is the place of the nityākalā deities, associated with the sixteen digits of the moon, but the list given in the text includes only twelve names. As in the YH, they are called guptayoginı ̄s and the presiding deity is Tripureśı;̄ the protectress of the cakra is the mudrā Drāviṇikā.425 On the eight-petalled lotus in the YH are the guptatarayoginı ̄s, linked with the subtle, transmigrating body which is made up of eight constituents (puryaṣtạ ka426), namely manas, buddhi, ahaṃ kāra and the five tanmātras (“subtle elements”); these yoginı s̄ are also associated with the eight classes of consonants. The presiding deity of this cakra is Tripurasundarı̄, who purifies the intellect and grants the siddhi of mahimā, the realization of the greatness of the self.427 In the TR the same śaktis, created by Guptatarā, abide in the same place. In the LU in the abode called sarvasaṃ kṣobhaṇa (“all agitation”) are eight anaṅgaśaktis with the same names; the presiding deity is Sundarı̄ and the protectress is the mudrā Ā karṣaṇikā.428 In the YH, these three cakras – i.e. the threefold square and the sixteen- and eight-petalled lotuses – corresponding to the emanation/ evolution of the world and associated with the level of the Corporeal Word (vaikharı )̄ , are followed by the set of three cakras formed by the fourteen-angled and the two ten-angled figures, corresponding to the maintenance of the world and associated with the subtle, unmanifested level of the Intermediate Word (madhyamā). On the fourteen-angled cakra, called sarvasaubhāgyadāyaka (“the giver of all happiness”), the adept should worship the saṃ pradāya yoginı ̄s by means of a complex ritual involving the yogic practice of ascent of the kuṇḍalinı ̄, that realizes the expansion of the energy of will (icchāsá kti). The siddhi obtained thereby is ı ̄sí tvā [the state of I ś̄ vara (god)] implying the purification of body and

The Island of Jewels and the Śrı ̄cakra  85 senses of the adept and the destruction of the original impurity, the duality inherent in the bonds with the world. The presiding deity of this cakra is Tripuravāsinı̄.429 In the TR the same śaktis, created by Saṃpradayā, are located in the same place.430 In the LU, in the abode called sarvasaubhāgyadāyaka are the saṃ pradāyaśaktis, bearing the same names. The protectress of this cakra is the mudrā Sarvavaśyā.431 The first, outer ten-angled cakra is called, in the YH, sarvārthasādhaka (“accomplisher of all human aims”) because the adept realizes that his own self has the same nature as Śiva, and this is the attainment of the highest aim. It is here that the kulakaulikayoginı s̄ are worshipped: they are identified with the nādas, the phonic entities experienced by the adept as aspects of the divine Energy present in the cakras of his yogic body. Their cult is performed by uttering mantras up to the transmental plane (unmanı ̄ ), where uttered sounds dissolve into the silence of the Absolute. The presiding deity of this cakra is Tripurāsŕ ı̄ (“Prosperity of the three worlds”): in her name the three worlds stand for the triad of knower, knowable and knowledge, and prosperity means resting on the fullness of the supreme conscious Subject. The siddhi is the power to subjugate all beings (vaśitva).432 In the TR the same śaktis, located in the same place, are called Kulottı̄rṇās. In the LU the same deities are called Kalotkı̄rṇā yoginı s̄ , as in the YH their abode is called sarvārthasādhaka and its presiding deity is Śrı̄. Its protectress is Sarvonmādana mudrā.433 In the second, inner ten-angled cakra, in the YH, the adept is deemed to be totally absorbed in his own nature, in Śiva, and the cakra is called sarvarakṣak̄ āra (“effecting all protection”) because it protects him against any hindrance on his spiritual path. The yoginı ̄s to be worshipped are called nigharba because they cause the absorption (āveśa) of the adept into his inner essence, which is the supreme Consciousness, Śiva. The presiding deity is Tripurāmālinı̄, who, by nourishing it, deludes the threefold world made of the triad of knower, knowable and knowledge. The siddhi acquired is prākāmya (“irresistibility”) by which the adept can act freely like Śiva.434 In the TR these śaktis, located in the same place, are called Nigarbhās, but the list given in the text includes only nine names, because Sarvajñā and Sarvaśakti, who appear at the beginning of the list of the YH, are combined in the name of Jñānaśakti, the first of this group in the TR. In the LU the names of the nigarbhayoginı ̄s and of their abode is the same as in the YH; the presiding deity is Mālinı̄ and the protectress is the mudrā Sarvamahāṅkuśā.435 In the YH, the worship of the yoginı ̄s located in the eight-angled cakra involves a yogic practice aimed at the rising of the kuṇḍalinı ̄ up to the cakra of the heart, where the subtle, transmigrating body (puryaṣtạ ka) is deemed to reside as the conscious principle animating the entire body. The yoginı ̄s are called rahasya because they are linked with the puryaṣtạ ka which is concealed in the heart; they are also associated with phonic entities, hence they are called vāgdevatās or vāgdevı ̄s (“deities of

86  Myths and Rituals Speech”).436 The eight-angled cakra is called sarvarogahara (“destroyer of all illnesses”) because it is deemed to harbour the fire of the cosmic dissolution that destroys the illness of saṃ sāra. The siddhi granted by its presiding deity Tripurāsiddhi is bhukti, the “power to enjoy” with wonder (camatkāra) the world in all its diversity, a power gained by the adept who has attained the liberating knowledge devoid of duality, which is realized in the fusion with Śiva.437 The TR mentions only seven goddesses – the same as the YH, excepting Kāmeśvarı̄ – instead of the eight which might be expected to occupy the eight-angled area. In the LU the same goddesses, explicitly called goddesses of Speech and whose associations with the different groups of phonemes are detailed, abide in the cakra called sarvarogahara, as in the YH; the presiding deity is Siddhā and the protectress is the mudrā Khecarı̄.438 In the YH, within the central triangle called sarvasiddhimayacakra (“cakra made of all accomplishments/powers”) and, like those preceding and following, associated with cosmic dissolution, are the deities nearest to the Goddess, the atirahasya yoginı ̄s, endowed with the icchā-, jñāna and kriyā-śaktis. They grant a siddhi which causes the jivanmukti, and which is characterized by fullness because it is fusion with Śiva, and by non-fullness because it includes the diversity of the world. This cakra is adorned by the divinized, feminine and masculine, forms of the weapons (āyudha) of Kāmeśvarı̄ and Kāmeśvara: bow, arrows, noose and goad. On the angles of this triangle are the first three goddesses presiding over the four pı ̄ṭhas,439 namely Kāmeśvarı̄, Vajreśvarı̄ and Bhagamālinı̄, while the fourth, Tripurasundarı̄, resides in the central bindu. The presiding deity of this cakra is Tripurāmbikā, who begets Vāmā, Jyeṣth ̣ ā and Raudrı̄; the siddhi obtained by worshipping the deities of this cakra is the power of unrestrained free will (icchāsiddhi).440 The TR’s outline of the deities abiding in the circles of the Śrı̄cakra terminates abruptly at the end of Chapter 56, where it is stated simply that Atirahasyā created a single, unnamed sá kti, dwelling in the right/ Southern angle,441 a place difficult to locate. The distribution of the sá ktis on the Śrı̄cakra continues, in an unsystematic way, in Chapter 57, where, as in the YH, on the three angles of the central triangle are situated Kāmeśvarı̄, Vajreśı ̄ and Bhagamālinı̄kā, called the goddesses of the rule (samayadevı ̄s).442 Like the YH, the LU mentions the abode of the weapons of Kāmeśvarı̄ and Kāmeśvara, which is called astracakra and is placed above that of the goddesses of Speech; on the three angles of the central triangle are the three goddesses of the rule (samayesı́ ̄s) Kāmeśı,̄ Vajreśı ̄ and Bhagamālā, attended by the goddesses of the systems of philosophy (darsá na), with Lalitā the fourth among them. No mention is made of a presiding deity of this cakra.443 Before proceeding to the ninth cakra, the bindu, additional details regarding the central triangle should be analyzed. In the YH, it is here in this triangle that the worship should be carried out of the threefold line of teachers (gurupaṅkti), the transmission of the tradition through the succession of divine, perfect and human teachers (divyasiddhamānavakrama);

The Island of Jewels and the Śrı ̄cakra  87 Amṛtānanda says that this line is secret, not written in the books, but revealed only by the mouth of the guru.444 In both the TR and the LU, the gurus forming the retinue of Kāmeśvara are also placed on the central triangle.445 Both texts quote the names of Mitreśa, Uḍḍıs̄ á , Saṣth ̣ ı̄sá and Caryā,446 and mention the threefold transmission (divyasiddhamānava). In the LU the Nāthas, created by Kāmeśvara, create in their turn the divine, perfect (siddha) and human teachers of the threefold tradition (ogha447), who attain sālokya, sārūpya and sāyujya.448 The TR specifies the attributes of the four gurus449 and provides further details about the connection of these gurus – teachers of speech (vāc) and m ­ antras – with the Word-Energy nature of the Goddess.450 In the KKV, it is Tripurasundarı̄ herself who assumes the forms of the first three gurus to reveal her vidyā in the Tretā, Dvāpara and Kali ages (yuga), while in the Kṛtayuga Śiva himself takes the form of the guru Caryā. Hence Uḍḍıs̄ á , united with Kāmeśvarı̄, abides on the apex of the inner inverted triangle of the Śrı̄cakra; Saṣth ̣ ı̄sá , united with Vrajeśvarı̄, is on the right angle of the triangle; Mitreśa, united with Bhagamālinı̄, is on the left angle of the triangle.451 Furthermore, in the YH, the Nityās are located and worshipped on the three lines of the central triangle of the Śrı̄cakra; they are identified with the sixteen (fifteen plus one) lunar days (tithi), and with the syllables of the Śrı̄vidyā. These goddesses must be worshipped within the kāmya rites, which are undertaken to fulfil desires, and must be visualized in the forms corresponding to the siddhi desired.452 In the TR, fifteen śaktis arise from the body of Tripurā: these are the Nityās,453 who represent the moon’s digits (kalā), preside over the fifteen lunar days, and abide on the three sides of the central triangle of the Śrı̄cakra, in three groups of five. Mahātripurasundarı̄, who was the first to be created by Tripurā, is the sixteenth Nityā and, thanks to her asceticism, she is united with Tripurā, who is herself the seventeenth, and who makes Mahātripurasundarı̄ the presiding deity of the bindu.454 While the location and names of the sixteen Nityās given in the TR correspond to those indicated in the YH and NṢA, the doubling of Tripurā in her reflection (pratibimba) Mahātripurasundarı̄, makes it necessary in the TR to add a seventeenth Nityā, who is Tripurā herself. The idea that the Nityās are all reflections of the supreme Goddess also occurs in the YH: “Then, on the triangle, [one must worship] the reflected forms (pratibimbākṛtı ̄ḥ) of her flashing forth, the Nityās …”455 In the LU the fifteen Nityās – Lalitā456 being the sixteenth – are also identified with the lunar days. They take the form of the three units of Time and are versed in devouring Time (kālagrāsavicakṣanā, 37, 36d), thereby granting longevity to all beings. They are born from the body of Śrı̄ (śrı ̄parāṅgasamudbhavāḥ, 37, 38b). Their abode (nityāntara) is located between the nāthāntara and the aṅgadevyantara, the abode of the divinized forms of the limbs of the body of the Goddess, who are: Hṛddevı̄, Śirodevı̄, Śikhādevı̄, Varmadevı̄, Dṛsṭ ị devı̄ and Śastradevı̄, the goddesses of the heart,

88  Myths and Rituals head, tuft, armour, sight and weapons. These aṅgadevı ̄s are very close to Lalitā and are moving around and within the central bindu.457 They do not appear either in the YH or in the TR. On the bindu at the centre of the Śrı̄cakra (baindavacakra) the great Goddess abides, seated on the left thigh of Śiva Kāmeśvara. In the YH, she is said to be in the forest of the great lotus, by which is meant the white lotus with a thousand petals, turning downwards, located on the summit of the suṣumnā at the height of the brahmarandhra in the yogic body of the adept.458 One should worship the Goddess by offering one’s own self, namely by means of the ritual offerings of perfume, food, lights, incense, and flowers, corresponding to the elements of earth, water, fire, air, and space, respectively; these are the elements constituting both the human body and the cosmos, as well as the Goddess herself, insofar as she is identified with the cosmos.459 This adoration of the Goddess, together with the worship of the threefold line of teachers (gurupaṅkti) and of the Nityā goddesses, must be performed at the beginning of the śrı ̄cakrapūjā. Towards the end of the śrı ̄cakrapūjā – after the worship of the deities abiding in the central triangle – it is explained that the baindavacakra is called sarvānandamaya (“whose nature is all bliss”) because it symbolizes the fusion of prakās ́a and vimarśa, of Śiva and Śakti, beyond all duality.460 There one should worship Mahātripurasundarı̄, who is the great kāmakalā (mahākāmakalārūpā);461 she is both ahantā (“I-ness”) and idantā (“the being this”), i.e. the absolute I, conscious subject, and the objective world. The siddhi obtained through worship on this cakra is prāpti (“power to attain everything”).462 In the TR, Tripurā is on the bindu, seated on the lap of Kāmeśvara, upon the throne made of the five great gods beginning with Brahmā (pancabrahmāsana). She appoints Mahātripurasundarı̄ as presiding deity of the bindu. In the LU also Ṣoḍaśı/ ̄ Lalitā abides in the binducakra.463 Finally, the TR enumerates the deities presiding over the nine cakras of the Śrı̄cakra, who are all said to be forms of Mahātripurasundarı̄.464 Their names correspond to those given in the YH, where they are the object of a mental worship: the adept should visualize and worship each of the nine cakreśvarı ̄ as abiding in each of the nine cakras of his yogic body, so that he may identify himself with the Goddess who, in her diagrammatic form, is both ninefold and One.465 This comparative analysis of the distribution of the deities on the Śrı̄cakra in the TR and in its sources does not do justice to the complexity of the sŕ ı ̄cakrapūjā as it is detailed in the YH, but limits itself simply to giving a glimpse of the extent of its complexity. The purpose of the references to the ritual-meditative-yogic aspects of the cult of the deities on the Śrı̄cakra, and to their significance according to the YH, is to highlight how these aspects remain unspoken, or at best implicit, in both the TR and the LU. In the LU the description of the cintāmaṇigṛha constitutes the final part of the depiction of Śrı̄pura. Although no mention is made of the

The Island of Jewels and the Śrı ̄cakra  89

geometric pattern of the Śrı̄cakra, the deities dwelling in the ascending abodes of the cintāmaṇigṛha largely correspond to those who are to be worshipped in the constituent parts of the Śrı̄cakra in the YH, thereby proving that the cintāmaṇigṛha of the LU is de facto a Śrı̄cakra. However, from the Epic-Purāṇic perspective of the LU this is not regarded as a yantra whose deities are to be meditated upon and worshipped, but is presented as the stronghold of Lalitā, from which she launches her attacks against the demon Bhaṇḍa. In addition, the war chariot of the Goddess, called cakrarājaratha (“chariot [in the form of] the chief of the cakras”) and endowed with nine steps, has the ninefold structure of the Śrı̄cakra; in fact, the same groups of sá ktis found in the ascending abodes of the cintāmaṇigṛha are distributed on the corresponding steps of the chariot.466 The LU has thus incorporated the model of the Śrı̄cakra from the Tantric sources, replacing the ritual prescriptions given by these sources with its vivid depictions of the divine abodes with their inhabitants, and of the chariot of the warrior Goddess Lalitā. In so doing, the LU provides a good instance of how the phenomenon of the flow between the Purāṇic and the Tantric worlds may result in an original syncretic synthesis of elements taken from both domains. This also holds true for the TR, but in a different perspective, in the sense that the Tantric component seems to be predominant and to mould the Purānic character of this work. Unlike the LU, the TR defines the geometric pattern of the Śrı̄cakra clearly. As in the LU, the places of the sá ktis on its structure correspond with those of the yoginı ̄s in the YH. But whereas the outline of the TR seems scanty, if compared with the descriptions of the LU, the former expands on the outward appearance of the deities of each group, detailing their attributes. Although the iconographic features of these deities do not always match with their parallels in the YH, the fact that details characterizing the sthūla form of these deities are provided reveals an awareness that they should be mentally visualized or contemplated by the adept on the fashioned image of the Śrı̄cakra during its ritual worship. Their ritual function is thus acknowledged in the TR.467 While retaining the Tantric character of its descriptions of the abode of Tripurā in the maṇidvı ̄pa and of her retinue on the Śrı̄cakra, the TR, like the LU, includes these descriptions in the narrative of the fight of Lalitā against the demon Bhaṇḍa. But in the case of the TR the account of the deeds of Lalitā can be said to be framed entirely within the Śrı̄cakra. In fact, from the point of view of the structure of the text, this account is inserted between the initial descriptions of the maṇidvı ̄pa and of Tripurā’s retinue abiding on the Śrı̄cakra, and the final celebration of the victory of Lalitā, who is enthroned as queen of Śrı̄pura, the city built for her on the peak of mount Meru, according to the model of the original abode of Tripurā in the centre of the Island of Jewels.468 After her royal consecration, Lalitā is installed on a splendid Śrı̄cakra-like throne formed by the five great gods

90  Myths and Rituals beginning with Brahmā,469 hence a throne which is like that of Tripurā in the maṇidvı̄pa and which is itself qualified as a Śrı̄cakra. In the conclusion of the epic narrative of the LM, the link between Tripurā and Lalitā is thus enhanced by Lalitā’s double association with the maṇidvı̄pa and with the Śrı̄cakra. Thus that which is said of Tripurā can apply to Lalitā also: “For the salvation of the world, which appears out of herself as her play, she is superintending the city of the supreme Śrı̄cakra as the universal sovereign. [102c–103b]”470

Notes 334 See Synopsis, Chapter 51. The sacrifice performed by the gods is commented in Part I, Chapter 1; the apparition of Tripurā is commented in Part I, Chapter 2. The Goddess is saluted as Lalitā in v. 74 of the VII Hymn in Praise of Tripurā, quoted and translated in Synopsis, Chapter 51. 335 See Synopsis, Chapter 52. 336 See Synopsis, beginning and end of Chapter 53. 337 See Synopsis, beginning of Chapter 55. The ritual worship of Tripurā performed by the gods in the Island of Jewels is commented in Part I, Chapter 1. 338 After discussing the hypotheses put forward by other scholars, Mackenzie Brown suggests in his study on the DBhPur that this purāṇa, which originated in Northeast India, was probably composed from the 11th–12th centuries CE, and completed in its final redaction during the following four or five centuries (see Mackenzie Brown 1990: 3, 8–9). 339 Among the textual references to the maṇidvı ̄pa, the following verse from the SL deserves mention: In the midst of the Ocean of Nectar, [where] covered with groves of heavenly wishing trees [is] the Isle of Gems, in the mansion of wishing jewels with its grove of nı ̄pa trees, on a couch composed of [the four gods] Śiva [and the others], your seat a mattress which is Paramaśiva, some few lucky ones worship you, o flood of consciousness (cit) and bliss (ānanda).

SL, 8: sudhāsindhor madhye suraviṭapivātı̣ ̄parivte maṇidvı ̄pe nı ̄popavanavati cintāmaṇig he | s ́ivākāre mañce paramaśivaparyaṅkanilayāṃ bhajanti tvāṃ dhanyāḥ katicana cidānandalaharı ̄m || 8 || [Eng. trans. in Brown (ed.) 1958: 50]. 340 See LU, 31, 10–11: ṣoḍas ́ı ̄kṣetramadhyeṣu tatkṣetrasamasaṃkhyayā | kartavyā śrı ̄nagaryā hi nānāratnair alaṅktāḥ || 10 || yatra ṣoḍaśadhā bhinnā lalitā parameśvarı ̄ | viśvatrāṇaȳ a satataṃ nivāsaṃ racayiṣyati || 11 || [Eng. trans. in Tagare (ed.) 1984, Part V: 1228]. 341 See Ibidem, 17c–19b, 21cd: kṣetrāṇi hi navaitāni bhaumāṇi viditāny atha || 17cd || audakāni tu saptaiva proktāny akhila sindhuṣu | lavaṇo’bdhı ̄kṣusārābdhiḥ surābdhir ghtasāgaraḥ || 18 || dadhisindhuḥ kṣı ̄rasindhur jalasindhus ́ ca saptamaḥ || 19ab || … namāni nityānāmnaiva prathitāni na saṃ s ́ayaḥ || 21cd || [Eng. trans. in Tagare (ed.) 1984, Part V: 1228–1229]. 342 Epithets 55, 56 and 61, Eng. trans. in R. A. Sastry (ed.) 1976: 60, 63. 343 See Bhāskararāya’s commentary on epithets 55, 56 and 61 in R. A. Sastry (ed.) 1976: 60, 61, 63 [Skt. text of LSN, 2, 73ab, 74c and comm. in Paṇsí kar (ed.) 1935: 39–41]. It is difficult to track down the textual references given by Bhāskararāya: the Rudrayāmala is a vast work, the sole Uttaratantra of which has been published [see Rai (ed.) 1986]; I did not have access to the printed edition of the Lalitāstavaratna mentioned in R. A. Sastry (ed.) 1976: 9, note 2; as remarked in Ibidem: note 3, there is no trace of a text known as Vidyāratnabhāsỵ a. 344 See DBhPur, III, 2, 32c–41, Eng. trans. in Vijnanananda (ed.) 1977: 122–124.

The Island of Jewels and the Śrı ̄cakra  91 345 On this detail, see above, note 278. 346 See DBhPur, III, 3, Eng. trans. in Vijnanananda (ed.) 1977: 124–127. 347 See DBhPur, III, 4–6, Eng. trans. in Vijnanananda (ed.) 1977: 127–141. 348 For a possible interpretation of some motifs of this mythical narrative, see Mackenzie Brown 1990: 206–210. 349 The maṇidvı ̄pa is called sarvaloka at the beginning of its description in DBhPur, XII, 10, thereby signifying its superiority to the worlds of the great gods [see DBhPur, XII, 10, 1–2, Eng. trans. in Vijnanananda (ed.) 1977: 1174]. 350 YH, 1, 55: evaṃ rūpaṃ paraṃ tejaḥ s ́rı ̄cakravapuṣa ̄ shitam | tadı ̄yaśaktinikarasphuradūrmisamāvtam || 55 || [Eng. trans. in Padoux with Jeanty (ed.) 2013: 45]. 351 Ibidem. The evocative and reverberating power of this symbol which, in fantastic narrative literature, is transposed in the image of the golden city harboured in the depths of the ocean which turns out to be the dwelling of a Goddess, has been discussed elsewhere (see Schwarz Linder 1996). 352 See Synopsis, Chapter 54. 353 See LU, 31–37 and the Eng. trans. of the relevant portions of these chapters in Tagare (ed.) 1984, Part V: 1229–1235, 1237–1275, 1284–1286. 354 See DBhPur, XII, 10–12, Eng. trans. in Vijnanananda (ed.) 1977: 1174–1189. It is difficult to establish the period of composition of these chapters of the DBhPur (see above, note 338). 355 In his study on the figure of Mahākāla in Purāṇic and literary sources, Granoff writes: “in the process by which Mahākāla, probably a local deity, was absorbed into Śaivism, he was first made a gaṇa of Śiva and then only later became identified with Śiva and the object of a major cult.” (Granoff 2003: 107). See also the entry Mahākāla in the forthcoming TAK IV. 356 See the relevant entry in the forthcoming TAK IV. 357 In all three texts, the space inside the golden rampart is occupied by a grove of Kadamba trees, to which epithet 60 in the LSN refers: “Living in a grove of Kadamba trees” (LSN, 2, 23b: kadambavanavāsinı ̄ ). In his commentary on this epithet Bhāskararāya also refers to sources where this grove surrounds the mansion of the Goddess (cintāmaṇigha) [see R. A. Sastry (ed.) 1976: 62, for the Skt. text see LSN, 2, 74b and comm. in Paṇsí kar (ed.) 1935: 40–41]. See also epithet 10 in the LTS: “Dwelling in a grove of Kadamba trees” (kadambakānanāvāsā, Eng. trans. in Sanderson 2017: 15). 358 The descriptions of the metal ramparts are found in TR, mk, 54, 1–28b; LU, 31, 28ff and 32, Eng. trans. in Tagare (ed.) 1984, Part V: 1229–1244; DBhPur, XII, 10, 10–70, Eng. trans. in Vijnanananda (ed.) 1977: 1175–1178. 359 See below. 360 In the DBhPur the rule governing the construction of these ramparts is explicitly stated: they are to be made of increasingly precious materials proceeding towards the centre of the maṇidvı ̄pa [See DBhPur, 10, 74–75, Eng. trans. in Vijnanananda (ed.) 1977: 1178]. 361 The descriptions of the gem ramparts are found in TR, mk, 54, 28c–43b; LU, 33–34, Eng. trans. in Tagare (ed.) 1984, Part V: 1244–1261; DBhPur, XII, 10, 71–101; 11, 1–107, Eng. trans. in Vijnanananda (ed.) 1977: 1178–1184. 362 In ancient India the term rasāyana is used specifically to designate alchemy and it also occurs in Sanskrit medical literature. Its presence in this brief passage does not allow to put forward interpretations that cannot be corroborated by sufficient textual evidence. However, since amta already indicates the beverage of immortality, it is possible that the term rasāyana was chosen to evoke alchemy as an initiatory spiritual practice which, without diminishing its ultimate soteriological nature, avowed, like the Tantric practices, the possibility also of pursuing mundane goals, such as rejuvenation, longevity and so on. The primary and secondary literature on this topic is vast; for a survey of the meaning of rasāyana in Sanskrit medical and alchemical literature, see Wujastyk 2017.

92  Myths and Rituals 363 LU, 35, 2cd, 3c–5: mano nāma mahāsá l̄ aḥ sarvaratnavicitritaḥ || 2cd || … tanmadhyakakṣyābhāgas tu sarvāpy amtavāpikā || 3cd || yatpı ̄tvā yoginaḥ siddhā vajrakāyā mahābalāḥ | bhavanti puruṣah̄ ̣ prājñās tad eva hi rasāyanam || 4 || vāpyāmtamayyāṃ tu vartate toyatāṃ gatam | tadgandhāghrāṇamātreṇa siddhikāṃ tāpatir bhavet || 5 ||. 364 See Tagare’s remark in Tagare (ed.) 1984: 1261, note 1. Bühnemann discusses additional instances of goddesses included in the Hindu Tantric pantheon under the influence of Tantric Buddhism (see Bühnemann 2016: 34–38). 365 For essential information about Tārā, see Kinsley 1987: 165–172, as well as the monography dedicated to this goddess by Beyer (1973). 366 TR, mk, 54, 52d–53: … tadrasam || 52d || pı̄tvā talleśakam api samastājñānasambhavam | tyajanti tāpaṃ paśyanti jagattattvam anāvtam || 53 ||. 367 LU, 35, 35c–36: vimarśavāpikā nāma suṣumṇam ̄ tarūpiṇı || ̄ 35cd || tanmahāyoginām antarmanomārutapūritam | suṣumnadaṇḍavivare jāgarti paramāmtam || 36 ||. 368 Beyer 1973: 302. 369 See Kinsley 1987: 170 and Beyer 1973: 301–310. 370 For information on this work, see Goudriaan, Gupta 1981: 64–67. 371 See also Beyer 1973: 301, Fig. 35, where Kurukullā holds the same attributes as Tripurasundarı̄: goad, noose, bow, and flowery arrows. 372 See TRT, 22, 24ff; see also the analysis of this chapter devoted to Kurukullā in Woodroffe 1971: 72–74. 373 See also LSN, epithet 59, “Residing in the forest of the great lotus” (LSN, 2, 23a: mahāpadmātạ vı ̄saṃ sthā); in his commentary Bhāskararāya remarks that padmātạ vı ̄ is also the thousand-petalled lotus located in the brahmarandhra, thereby pointing to the correspondence between the places of the abode of the Goddess, alias universe, and the centres of the subtle structure of the human body [see epithet 59 and Bhāskararāya’s commentary in R. A. Sastry (ed.) 1976: 62, Skt text of LSN, 2, 74a and comm. in Paṇsí kar (ed.) 1935: 40]. 374 LU, 35, 64–69: tatprabhāveṇa saṃ mūḍhā mahāpadmāṭavı̄sthalam | vanituṃ śuddhaveśāś ca lalitābhaktinirbharāḥ | sāvadhānena manasā yānti padmāṭavı̄sthalam || 64 || na gantuṃ pārayaty eva surasiddhanarāḥ surāḥ | brahmaviṣṇumaheśās tu śuddhacittāḥ svabhāvataḥ | tadājñayā paraṃ yānti mahāpadmāṭavı̄sthalam || 65 || saṃ sāriṇaś ca rāgāndhā bahusaṃ kalpakalpanāḥ | mahākulāś ca puruṣā vikalpajñānadhūsarāḥ || 66 || prabhūtarāgagahanāḥ prauḍhavyāmohadāyinı̄m | mahāśṅgāraparikhāṃ tarituṃ na vicakṣaṇāḥ || 67 || yasmād ajeyasaundaryas trailokyajanamohanaḥ | mahāśṅgāraparikhādhikārı̄ vartate smaraḥ || 68 || tasya sarvam atikramya mahatām api mohanam | mahāpadmāṭavı̄ṃ gantuṃ na ko’pi bhavati kṣamaḥ || 69 ||. 375 The descriptions of these ramparts, from manas to śṅgāra, are found in TR, mk, 54, 43c–59b and LU, 35, 1–69 [Eng. trans. in Tagare (ed.) 1984, Part V: 1261–1267]. 376 The four doors are said to represent the four Vedas. See TR, mk, 55, 46a: caturdvāraś caturvedamaya. 377 See also Synopsis, Chapter 55. 378 See also LSN, epithet 57, “Dwelling in the mansion made of gems yielding all desires” (LSN, 2, 22c: cintāmaṇighāntaḥsthā); in his commentary Bhāskararāya refers to the description given in the BāPur, i.e. the LU, and in the abovementioned Rudrayāmala and Lalitāstavaratna [see R. A. Sastry (ed.) 1976: 61, Skt. text of LSN, 2, 73c and comm. in Paṇsí kar (ed.) 1935: 40]. 379 See LU, 35, 70cd: cintāmaṇighaṃ nāma cakrarājāmahālayaḥ || 70cd ||. 380 The chariot of Lalitā is described in the same way also in LU, 29, 35–36, where it is added that its flag is bliss. 381 See also LSN, epithet 52, “Sitting on the lap of Śiva Kāmeśvara” (LSN, 2, 21c: śivakāmeśvarāṅkasthā) and Bhāskararāya’s commentary in R. A. Sastry (ed.) 1976: 56–57; Skt. text of LSN, 2, 72c and comm. in Paṇsí kar (ed.) 1935: 37–38.

The Island of Jewels and the Śrı ̄cakra  93 382 See also LSN, epithet 58, “Sitting on a throne [made] of the five Brahmās” (LSN, 2, 22d: pañcabrahmāsanasthitā); in his commentary, Bhāskararāya refers to sources which provide a variant in the distribution of the gods forming the Goddess’s throne [see R. A. Sastry (ed.) 1976: 61–62; Skt. text of LSN, 2, 73d and comm. in Paṇsí kar (ed.) 1935: 40]. 383 The descriptions of the cintāmaṇigha are found in TR, mk, 54, 60b–78; 55, 36–42; LU, 35, 70–105; 36, 1–44; 37, 45–67, Eng. trans. in Tagare (ed.) 1984, Part V: 1267–1275, 1284–1286. 384 The Moon, Sun and Fire as the three eyes of the Goddess are mentioned in the description of Tripurasundarı̄ given in KKV, 37–38 (quoted above, Chapter 2, note 214), as well as in the Hymn of the 108 Names of Gaurı ̄: “she whose eyes are the Moon, the Sun and the Fire” (TR, mk, 28, 11b: somasūr yāgnilocanā. This hymn is quoted and translated in Synopsis, Chapter 28). The brightness of the Goddess is associated with the three lights in the SL: “Slender as a streak of lightning, composed of the essence of sun, moon and fire” [SL, 21a: taḍillekhātanvı ̄ṃ tapa naśaśivaiśvānaramayı ̄m, Eng. trans. in Brown (ed.) 1958: 56]. 385 See, for instance, the two bronzes dating from the 18th and 19th centuries described and reproduced in Khanna 1979: plates 59 and 76. 386 A good instance of the representation of Tripurasundarı̄ seated upon a throne the bench of which is formed by Sadāsí va and the four legs by the four gods, is provided by a Pahari painting from Kangra, dating from the late 18th century, described in Bühnemann 2016: 155–156 and reproduced in plate 61b in black and white; there is a colour reproduction in Khanna 1986: 20. A variant of this is a representation of Tripurasundarı̄ seated upon a throne with a base formed by the heads of the five gods and the seven mātkās, in a Newar painting described and reproduced in Dyczkowski 2001: plate 7. 387 See the relevant entry in TAK III 2013: 51–54. ́ cakra are mentioned in YH, 3, 388 The sixty-four yoginı ̄s and their worship in the Srı̄ 193–194, where it is also stated that it is the Goddess Tripurā, the supreme Yoginı̄, who playfully assumes the form of these goddesses [see YH, 3, 194cd quoted above, note 183; for Amtānanda’s commentary, see Padoux (ed.) 1994: 393–395]. 389 The description of the cintāmaṇigha is found in DBhPur, XII, 11, 108–110; 12; Eng. trans. in Vijnanananda (ed.) 1977: 1185–1189. 390 See DBhPur, XII, 12, 42: saṃ kocaś ca vikāsaś ca jāyante’sya nirantaram | paṭavatkār yavaśataḥ prālaye sarjane tathā || 42 ||. 391 The terms sālokya, sāmipya, sārūpya and sāyujya occur in various scriptures, such as the Chāndogya Upaniṣad, the Bhāgavatapurāṇa, some Vaikhānasa texts and Pāñcarātra saṃ hitās. For detailed references, see Schwarz Linder 2014: 166 and notes 318, 319. 392 See Sanderson 2012–2013: 76–79. 393 See PKS, 3, 10 in A. M. Sastri (ed.) 1979: 98; see also the Skt. text and German trans. in Weber 2010: 289–291. 394 See LU, 35, 70cd quoted above. 395 See PKS, 3, 10: tatra mahācakre … iti catuścatvāriṃ s ́anmantrais tattad akhilaṃ bhāvayitvā arcayitvā. In his NU, Umānandanātha introduces and concludes this passage of the PKS with these words: Now, there, one should perform the cult of the abode [of the Goddess] ́ cakra. … Meditating/visualizing the whole [abode] by [uttering] in the Srı̄ the fortyfour mantras related to the abode, one should worship [it] with full blossoms; thus, indeed the meditation upon this homage is always auspicious. atha tatra cakrarāje mandirapūjāṃ kuryāt | … iti catusć atvāriṃ sá nmandiraman­ traiḥ tattad akhilaṃ bhāvayan kusumākṣatair abhyarcayet | evam eva sarvatra arcane tattadbhāvanā śreyası ̄ || [Skt. text in A. M. Sastri (ed.) 1977: 35]. 396 Sanderson 2012–2013: 78. For further information about the KaT, see Ibidem: 78–79.

94  Myths and Rituals 397 KaT, 4, 108c–110a: amtārṇavamadhyodyanmaṇidvı ̄pe suśobhite || 108cd || kalpa­ vkṣavanāntaḥsthamaṇimānị kyamaṇdạ pe | navaratnamayaśrı̄matsiṃ hāsanagate’mbu­­­je || 109 || trikoṇan̄ taḥsamāsı ̄nam … | 110a [Skt. text in Vidyāratna (ed.) 1984: 183]. The description of the ardhanarı̄sv́ ara is found in vv. 110b–114b. 398 KaT, 6, 13–15: amtābdhau maṇidvı ̄pe kalpavkṣatarostale | ratnaprakārasandı ̄ptaṃ smaren māṇikyamaṇḍapam || 13 || puṣpamālāvitānāḍhyaṃ pracchannapaṭasaṃ vtam | karpūradı ̄pabhāsvantaṃ dhūpāmodasugandhikam || 14 || tanmaṇḍapastham ātmānaṃ dhyātvānākulacetasā | s ́rı ̄guror ājñayā devi kulapūjāṃ samācaret || 15 || [Skt. text in Vidyāratna (ed.) 1984: 200]. 399 For further details, see Synopsis, end of Chapter 55. 400 KKV, 36: seyaṃ parā mahes ́ı ̄ cakrākāreṇa pariṇameta yadā | taddehāvayavānāṃ pariṇatirāvaṇadevatāḥ sarvāḥ || 36 || [Eng. trans. in Woodroffe (ed.) 1971: 212; see also the commentary by Natanānandanātha in Ibidem: 212–213]. 401 YH, 1, 9c–10b: yadā sā paramā śaktiḥ svecchayā viśvarūpiṇı ̄ || 9cd || sphurattām ātmanaḥ pas ́yet tadā cakrasya saṃ bhavaḥ | 10ab [Eng. trans. in Padoux with Jeanty (ed.) 2013: 27; for Amtānanda’s commentary, see also Padoux (ed.) 1994: 108–109]. 402 Padoux with Jeanty (ed.) 2013: 27. 403 This topic is discussed in Part II, Chapter 2. 404 On this subject, see Padoux’s remarks in Padoux (ed.) 1994: 82–85. The śrı ̄cakrapūjā is treated in YH, 3, 108–168. 405 On this subject, see Padoux’s remarks in Padoux (ed.) 1994: 78–80. The śrı ̄cakranyāsa is treated in YH, 3, 41c–81b. 406 See TR, mk, 56, 14c–26. In the first chapter (cakrasaṃ keta) of the YH, the ninefold structure of the Śrı̄cakra is outlined as follows: first, the three outer square lines of the diagram; second, the sixteen-petalled lotus; third, the eight-petalled lotus; fourth, the fourteen triangles; fifth and sixth, the two ten-angled figures/cakras; seventh, the figure/cakra of eight triangles; eighth, the central triangle; ninth, the centre of this triangle [see YH, 1, 79c–82a in Padoux (ed.) 1994: 175]. There are many representations of the Śrı̄cakra, both painted and carved. Good examples of both kinds are the colour gouache on paper from Rajasthan, dated ca. 1700, reproduced in Khanna 1979: 113, plate 62; the copper plate from South India, dated ca. 17th century, reproduced in Ibidem: 94, plate 57, as well as in Mookerjee 1966: 79, plate 52; the bronze from Rajasthan, dated 18th century, representing the Meru form of the Śrı̄cakra, with a pyramidal structure, reproduced in Khanna 1979: 95, plate 59. 407 See Synopsis, Chapter 56. 408 The places of the deities on the cintāmaṇigha are described in LU, 36, 48–96 and 37, 1–44 [Eng. trans. in Tagare (ed.) 1984 Part V: 1275–1284]. 409 YH, 3, 114cd: yoginaḥ prakaṭa ̄ jñeyāḥ sthūlaviśvapradhatmani || 114cd || [Eng. trans. in Padoux with Jeanty (ed.) 2013: 127]. 410 See YH, 3, 113c–114 and Amtānanda’s commentary in Padoux (ed.) 1994: 337–338. 411 See YH, 3, 42c–45a (for the nyāsa), 115–116b (for the pūjā), and Amtānanda’s commentary in Padoux (ed.) 1994: 284–285, 338–340. 412 See YH, 3, 45–47b (for the nyāsa), 116c–124 (for the pūjā), and Amtānanda’s commentary in Padoux (ed.) 1994: 285–286, 340–342. 413 See Padoux (ed.) 1994: 287, note 66. 414 See YH, 3, 47c–49 (for the nyāsa) and Amtānanda’s commentary in Padoux (ed.) 1994: 286–288. The mudrās are listed and extensively explained in YH, 1, 57c–71 [see Padoux (ed.) 1994: 155–168]. 415 See YH, 3, 125ab: “Having thus visualized [these goddesses], one must worship them, then [worship] Tripurā, mistress of the cakra.” evaṃ dhyatvā yajet etās ́ cakreśı ̄ṃ tripurāṃ tataḥ | 125ab [Eng. trans. in Padoux with Jeanty (ed.) 2013: 129]. The same groups of deities, located in the same places, are also

The Island of Jewels and the Śrı ̄cakra  95 mentioned in KKV, 49 (the siddhis), 48 (the mātkās) and 46–47 (the mudrās) [see Woodroffe (ed.) 1971: 226–230]; the first two groups also occur in TRT, 4, 66–71 (see also Woodroffe 1971: 26–27). 416 See YH, 3, 125–126b and Amtānanda’s commentary in Padoux (ed.) 1994: 342–343. 417 See Amtānanda’s commentary on YH, 3, 90 in Padoux (ed.) 1994: 311–312, and the explanatory note 126 in which Padoux remarks that these groups of yoginı ̄s occur also in TRT (see TRT, 5, 11c–13 and Woodroffe 1971: 30–31). See also the table in Padoux (ed.) 1994: 334. 418 See Synopsis, Chapter 56. 419 See TR, mk, 56, 47c–55. There is an incongruity in the fact that at first the ten śaktis/siddhis are said to be created directly by Mahātripurasundarı̄, not by Prakaṭā; however, since the latter is said to create two groups of ten and one group of eight śaktis, one of the two groups of ten should refer to the śaktis/siddhis. For more details, see Synopsis, Chapter 56. 420 See LU, 36, 48–65. Unlike the TR, the LU adds a protectress in the form of a mudrā to the presiding deity of each cakra. 421 For the meaning of ākarṣaṇa as a ritual-magic action, see TAK I 2000: 169. 422 The list of their names, Kāmākarṣiṇı,̄ Buddhyākarṣiṇı ̄ etc., which is not given in full in the YH, is found in NṢA,1, 158–161. 423 Only some essential features of this cakra have been outlined here. For details on the nyāsa of the guptayoginı ̄s, see YH, 3, 50 and the explanations by Padoux in Padoux (ed.) 1994: 288–289 and note 70; for their pūjā, see YH, 3, 126c–130 and Amtānanda’s commentary in Padoux (ed.) 1994: 343–346. In KKV, 45, the yoginı ̄s of the sixteen-petalled lotus are associated with the five elements (bhūta), the ten sense-organs and action-organs (jñānendriya and karmendriya) and the mind (manas) [see Woodroffe (ed.) 1971: 225]. The same are found in TRT, 4, 72–74 (see also Woodroffe 1971: 27). 424 See TR, mk, 56, 56–64 for this and the next group of śaktis. 425 See LU, 36, 66–73b. 426 For a discussion of the meanings of puryaṣtạ ka, see Padoux (ed.) 1994: 151, note 228. 427 See YH, 3, 52cd, 54ab (for the nyāsa and the list of these yoginı ̄s); 131–135b (for the pūjā) and Amtānanda’s commentary in Padoux (ed.) 1994: 289–290, 346–349. These yoginı ̄s, located in the same place, are also mentioned in KKV, 44 [see Woodroffe (ed.) 1971: 224] and in TRT, 4, 75–77b (see also Woodroffe 1971: 27). 428 See LU, 36, 73c–78. 429 See YH, 3, 54c–55 (for the nyāsa and the list of the yoginı ̄s); 135c–142b (for the pūjā), Amtānanda’s commentary and explanations in Padoux (ed.) 1994: 290, 349–356. These yoginı ̄s, located in the same place, are also mentioned in KKV, 43 [see Woodroffe (ed.) 1971: 223] and in TRT, 4, 77c–80b (see also Woodroffe 1971: 27). 430 See TR, mk, 56, 65–77 for this and the next three groups of śaktis. 431 See LU, 36, 79–85. 432 See YH, 3, 58ab, 59d–60b (for the nyāsa and the list of the yoginı ̄s); 142c–147b (for the pūjā) and Amtānanda’s commentary in Padoux (ed.) 1994: 291–292, 356–360. These yoginı ̄s, located in the same place, are also mentioned in KKV, 42 [see Woodroffe (ed.) 1971: 222] and in TRT, 4, 80c–83 (see also Woodroffe 1971: 27–28). 433 See LU, 36, 86–90. 434 See YH, 3, 60c–61b; (for the nyāsa and the list of the yoginı ̄s); 147c–151 (for the pūjā) and Amtānanda’s commentary in Padoux (ed.) 1994: 292, 360–363. These yoginı ̄s, located in the same place, are also mentioned in KKV, 41 [see Woodroffe (ed.) 1971: 221] and in TRT, 4, 84–86 (see also Woodroffe 1971: 28).

96  Myths and Rituals 435 See LU, 36, 91–96. 436 See Padoux (ed.) 1994: 151, note 229. Sanderson remarks that the eight goddesses of Speech preside over the eight divisions of the Sanskrit alphabet, constituted by the vowels and the seven groups of consonants (see Sanderson 2017: 12, note 15). In the LTS it is stated that these goddesses composed the LSN: “It was at my command – says the Goddess – that the [eight] goddesses of Speech composed the [Hymn of the] Thousand names” (LTS, 12cd: madājñayā vacodevyas ́ cakrur nāmasahasrakam, Eng. trans. in Sanderson 2017: 12). The same account is also given in LSN, 1, 28–32 (as mentioned in Ibidem: note 15). 437 See YH, 3, 63 (for the nyāsa and the list of the yoginı ̄s); 152–156b (for the pūjā) and Amtānanda’s commentary in Padoux (ed.) 1994: 293, 363–367. These yoginı ̄s, located in the same place, are also mentioned in KKV, 40 [see Woodroffe (ed.) 1971: 219–220], and in TRT, 4, 87, where they are not named (see also Woodroffe 1971: 28). 438 See LU, 37, 1–10b. 439 The four pı ̄ṭhas, mythical centres traditionally considered to be the places of origin of the Tripurā tradition, are: Kāmagiri (or Kāmarūpa), Jālandhara, Pūrṇagiri and Oḍyāna. They are presided by the four nāthas Mitreśa, Ṣaṣth ̣ ı̄sá , Oḍḍiśa and Caryā, who are the teachers forming the divine line of transmission of the Kula tradition of Tripurā in each of the four cosmic ages (yuga). These nāthas are associated respectively with the goddesses Kāmeśvarı̄, Vajreśvarı̄, Bhagamālinı̄ and Tripurasundarı̄, as well as with the energies Vāmā, Jyeṣth ̣ ā, Raudrı̄ and Ambikā [for further details see Padoux (ed.) 1994: 306, note 112]. 440 See YH, 3, 65c–67b (for the nyāsa); 156c–162 (for the pūjā) and Amtānanda’s commentary in Padoux (ed.) 1994: 293–295, 367–371. It should be noted that Kāmeśvarı̄, Vajreśvarı̄ and Bhagamālinı̄ are not the Nityā goddesses who bear the same names; moreover this Kāmeśvarı̄ is not to be mistaken for the supreme Goddess, consort of Kāmeśvara (see Ibidem: 153, note 238). 441 See TR, mk, 56, 78ab: śaktir ekā cātirahasyākhyotthā dakṣakoṇake | 78ab. 442 See TR, mk, 57, 52–53. 443 See LU, 37, 10c–25b. 444 See YH, 3, 110ab and Amtānanda’s commentary in Padoux (ed.) 1994: 332; see also the explanatory note 36 in Ibidem: 101. 445 See TR, mk, 57, 63c–74 and LU, 37, 25c–31b. 446 The names of the nāthas in the LU (37, 29ab) are Mitrı̄, Śoḍiśa and Caryā, which are emended by Tagare to become Mitreśa, Uḍḍıs̄ á , Saṣth ̣ ı̄sá and Caryā [see Tagare (ed.) 1984, Part V: 1283, footnote], the same as in the TR (mk, 57, 66ab). These names appear in the line of teachers of the Tripurā tradition established by Śivānanda, Vidyānanda and Amtānanda [see the table in Padoux (ed.) 1994: 48–49]. ́ nanda in his juvimarśinı ̄ 447 The divyasiddhamānavaugha is also mentioned by Sivā on the NṢA and by Amtānanda in his Dı ̄pikā on the YH. The system of the oghas seems not to be very ancient (see the relevant entry in TAK I 2000: 257–258). 448 See LU, 37, 30: divyavidyā mānavaughasiddhaughāḥ suratāpasāḥ | prāptasālokyasārūpyasāyujyādikasiddhayaḥ || 30 ||. 449 For details about the gurus, see Synopsis, end of Chapter 57. 450 See Synopsis, beginning of Chapter 58. 451 See KKV, 39, 52–53 and Naṭanānandanātha’s commentary in Woodroffe (ed.) 1971: 217–218, 236–243. The worship of the āyudhas, the nāthas and the goddesses beginning with Kāmeśvarı̄ is also mentioned in TRT, 4, 88–91 (see also Woodroffe 1971: 28–29). 452 For the pūjā of the Nityā goddesses, see YH, 3, 112c–113b in Padoux (ed.) 1994: 336–337; in his commentary Amtā n anda quotes a passage from the NṢA containing the list of the Nityā’s names. The passage, NṢA,1, 26–28,

The Island of Jewels and the Śrı ̄cakra  97 runs as follows: tataḥ kāmeśvarı ̄ nityā nityā ca bhagamālinı ̄ | nityaklinnābhidhā nityā bheruṇḍa ̄ vahnivāsinı ̄ || 26 || mahāvidyeśvarı ̄ dūtı ̄ tvaritā kulasundarı ̄ | nityā nı ̄lapatākā ca vijayā sarvamaṅgalā || 27 || jvālāmālinı ̄ citrā cety evaṃ nityās tu ṣoḍaśa | s́ ṇu devi mahānityām ādau tripurasundarı ̄m || 28 ||. As Padoux suggests, the half-verse 25cd (tatrādau prathamā nityā mahātripurasundarı ̄ || 25cd ||) should be added to the verses quoted by Amtānanda in order to complete the list of the fifteen Nityās with the sixteenth, Mahātripurasundarı̄. [see Padoux (ed.) 1994: 337, note 231]. A large portion of the TRT is devoted to the Nityās: mentioned as a group in Chapter 3 and 24, Chapters 7–21 deal extensively with the dhyāna, mantra, yantra and pūjā of each of these goddesses (see the analysis of these chapters in Woodroffe 1971: 21–23, 77–79 and 36–71). 453 See TR, mk, 56, 27c–34. For the list of their names, see Synopsis, Chapter 56. 454 See TR, mk, 56, 33–34: svayaṃ saptadaśı ̄ nityā ṣoḍaśı ̄ yā puroditā | sā tapovı ̄ryasaṃ yogāt sāyujyaṃ samupāgatā || 33 || sṣtạ d̄ au yatra yā devı ̄ mahātripurasundarı ̄ | tāṃ bindubhūmyadhiṣtḥ ātrı ̄ṃ ktvā svāgre nives ́ayat || 34 ||. The outward appearance of the Nityās and their attributes are described in TR, mk, 57, 29c–35 (see Synopsis, Chapter 57). 455 YH, 3, 112c–113a: trikoṇe tatsphurattāyāḥ pratibimbāktı ̄ḥ punaḥ || 112cd || … nityāḥ | 113a [Eng. trans. in Padoux with Jeanty (ed.) 2013: 126]. 456 See LU, 37, 31c–39b. See Ibidem, 24: yā … lalitāmbikā | … sā nityānāṃ ṣoḍaśı ̄ matā || 24 ||. 457 See LU, 37, 40–44. 458 For this explanation, see Amtānanda’s commentary on YH, 3, 5 in Padoux (ed.) 1994: 269–270. This mention of the subtle structure of the human body refers to the psycho-physical support that enables the adept to perform the yogic-ritual practices involved in the s ́rı ̄cakrapūjā. 459 See YH, 3, 110c–112b and Amtānanda’s commentary in Padoux (ed.) 1994: 332–335. 460 See Amtānanda’s commentary on YH, 1, 84c in Padoux (ed.) 1994: 177. 461 The kāmakalā is the union of Śiva (kāma) and Śakti (kalā), which is symbolized by a diagram formed by two superimposed intersecting triangles, one pointing upward, representing Śiva and one pointing downward, representing Śakti. On the apex of the triangle of Śiva is a bindu symbolizing the phoneme A, the Sun, and the face of the Goddess; on the two angles at the base of this triangle are two bindus symbolizing the visarga, the Fire and the Moon, and the breasts of the Goddess; on the lower angle of the triangle of Śakti is a bindu symbolizing the phoneme HA and the yoni of the Goddess. This is a diagrammatic symbol of the Goddess – represented by her face, breasts and yoni – united with Śiva. Moreover, in the central part of the two triangles is the letter I ̄ in devanagari script, symbolizing the kuṇḍalinı ̄ which is rising, thanks to the union of Śiva and Śakti, from HA to A, thereby retracing the phonematic emanation of the universe in the sense of its reabsorption. For a detailed explanation of the complex symbolic meanings of the kāmakalā diagram, according to the NṢA, the YH and the KKV, see Padoux (ed.) 1994: 202–203, note 99; see also the relevant entry in TAK II 2004: 85. 462 This is not the conclusion of the s ́rı ̄cakrapujā, which is completed by the performance of additional rites and offerings and by the japa of the Śrı̄vidyā. To attempt even an outline of these complex ritual practices would be far beyond the scope of the present analysis, which limits itself to highlighting the parallels with the TR. 463 See TR, mk, 56, 25c–27b, 37 and LU, 37, 39cd. In the TR, near the binducakra there are also five groups of four śaktis, called Pañcaka goddesses, Tripurā being the fifth in each group; their names are given, but they do not occur in any of the sources so far examined (see Synopsis, Chapter 57). Moreover, fourteen śaktis are also mentioned, a group of ten arisen from the body and

98  Myths and Rituals weapons of Tripurā and a group of four arisen from her glances, whose names are not given, so that it is difficult to identify them (see Ibidem). These are not the sole incongruities occurring in this chapter (see Ibidem, note 1061). 464 See TR, mk, 57, 58c–62b and Synopsis, Chapter 57. 465 See the explanation of YH, 2, 9–12 in Padoux with Jeanty (ed.) 2013: 61–62. The same goddesses are also found in TRT, 5, 14–15 (see also Woodroffe 1971: 31). 466 See LU, 19, 1–60. In LU, 19, 61–92 and LU, 20, 1–84 both the Geyacakra chariot of Mantriṇı,̄ with seven steps, and the Kiricakra chariot of Daṇḍanāthā, with five steps, are also described. These three chariots, Śrı̄cakra, Geyacakra and Kiricakra, are said to be like the three worlds (see LU, 20, 88ab: etadrathatrayaṃ tatra trailokyam iva jaṃ gamam). For the Eng. trans. of LU, 19–20, see Tagare (ed.) 1984, Part IV: 1107–1124. It should be noted that in the TR too the war chariot of Lalitā, endowed with nine steps, is called cakrarājaratha (TR, mk, 74, 31a) or cakrarājamahāratha (Ibidem, 76, 21d), but it is not described in detail as in the LU (see Synopsis, Chapter 76). 467 These details, which are missing in the description of the cintāmaṇigha of the LU, are provided in its description of the deities located on the war chariot of Lalitā. This is a further proof of how the LU, borrowing elements from the Tantric sources, assigns them a function in its Epic narrative, overshadowing their original meaning and purpose. 468 See Synopsis, Chapter 78, where this Śrı̄pura is said to be “built like a reflection of the great Śrı̄pura” (TR, mk, 78, 19cd: mahāsŕ ı ̄purarājasya partibimbam ivārpitam). 469 See TR, mk, 78, 34d–35b: … s ́rı ̄cakrādhivirājitām || 34d || pañcabrahmākāramañ­caśobhinı ̄m lalitāmbikām | 35ab. 470 TR, mk, 59, 102c–103b. sā svābhāsitalı ̄lātmalokoddharaṇahetunā || 102cd || paraśrı ̄cakranagarasāmrājñı ̄tvam adhiṣtḥ itā | 103ab.

Part II

Philosophical and Theological Teachings

1 Tripurā as Immanent and Transcendent Divine Consciousness

The philosophical and theological teachings of the TR do not receive a systematic treatment in the mk on account of the mythic-narrative character of this section of the work, but are nonetheless to be found in various passages throughout the text, in the hymns of praise and in discourses uttered by human and divine characters. The ideas expounded in the mk are developed and elaborated in the jk where, in accordance with the stylistic devices characterizing the whole work, they are set out within the frame of dramatic dialogues and philosophical tales. In discussing the doctrinal teachings of the work, in this second Part the relevant passages from both the mk and the jk will be examined and, whenever formulations are sketchy, or ideas are suggested only by means of metaphors, an attempt will be made to fill the lacunas by reference to sources which might have inspired and influenced the author(s) of the TR in dealing with specific topics.

Tripurā as Ultimate Reality From the mk’s opening Invocation, in which she is identified with brahman and praṇava, the Goddess Tripurā is conceptualized as ultimate reality. Metaphysically, she is the essence immanent in everything and, in soteriological terms, she affords shelter for all: [You are] the supreme syllable (i.e. o), the brahman, the resplendent jewel of the garland of the worlds, [you are] everything, contained in everything, the essence of everything, abode and shelter for all; [2] ... [your] own nature being in the form of brahman. [3d]471 Furthermore, she is the origin of everything, encompassing all things and all-pervading: She who is the origin of all the worlds, by whom this whole [universe] is manifested, in whom everything appears, she is Tripurā, superior to everything ... [25c–26b] Thanks to a slight trace of her favour everything abides in her own self; indeed Tripurā is she who is full[y present] in every atom of matter and instant of time. [27]472 DOI: 10.4324/9780429297380-8

102  Philosophical and Theological Teachings As ultimate reality, Tripurā is the embodiment of the supreme Consciousness. The text reads: “You alone, one, you in person, filled with a great and infinite power, were present in the form of consciousness at the beginning of all the worlds,”473 and “at the beginning of all things you shine, having the supreme Consciousness as [your] body, [you] unique, with an auspicious form.”474 This idea is repeatedly emphasized in such expressions as: “your only form being nothing but consciousness,”475 “your body is nothing but the unsurpassed Consciousness,”476 “this Goddess, superior to the Supreme, whose own form is nothing but being and consciousness,”477 “the Goddess is everywhere the Supreme One, her own form is the great Consciousness.”478 These formulations suggest that consciousness is the form (rūpa), and the body (śarı ̄ra, vapus) of the Goddess, while her own essence is “the imperceptible energy, whose unique form is consciousness.”479 Thus, the Goddess permeates consciousness with her energy, which consists in an illuminating, manifesting power and in a free, playful will. Accordingly, it is said that she is “by nature consisting of the light of consciousness,”480 that “once manifested, [her] person illuminates everything,”481 and that she is “the free, shining and playful Consciousness.”482 Such statements testify to the complex relationship of the Goddess with the supreme Consciousness: a relation envisaged as the inner dynamics of the godhead polarized in its feminine and masculine aspects, represented by Śakti and Śiva. The jk states: “Truly the Lord is consciousness, his body is the supreme Consciousness, [and] this very Consciousness is the absolute being, the universal ruler, the supreme Lady, Tripurā”483 and “the unique form of Śiva is pure Consciousness [and this] incorporeal Consciousness is Tripurā, who is infinite energy, uniform, universal Subject, Consciousness of unbounded fullness.”484 If these formulations related to Śiva are compared to those related to the Goddess, both may be seen to be made of consciousness, which is their unique form (śivaś citimātraikarūpaś and saṃ vinmātraikarūpiṇı ̄, respectively), or their body (iśas taddehaḥ syāc citiḥ parā485 and saṃ vidanuttaramātraśarı ̄rā); but Tripurā, who is the very essence of the Lord, animating him with her infinite energy, appears to hold a prominent status. The features of each of the two aspects of the godhead are elucidated in other passages of the mk, beginning with the first discourse uttered by Dattātreya, which reads: Truly the supreme Śiva alone [is] the Self of all living beings. [66cd] … So far in this world there shall never be, anywhere, a reality [that], albeit void, shines; so also, nothing exists without brilliance. [68] The shining light – where indeed the shining is not separated from the light – the illuminating power, the brilliance, truly [is] the supreme Śiva, whose essence is light. [69] One, eternal, by means of his pure energy, he voluntary appears everywhere, wonderfully taking manifold forms. [70] Now the Self alone is the eternal brilliant lustre of all worlds. [71ab]486

Tripurā as Divine Consciousness  103 The text states that Śiva is the Self of all;487 as universal Self, he has a luminous essence and, being the embodiment of Consciousness, he is luminous consciousness, or conscious light. Since the whole of reality, in its manifold and wonderful forms, is the manifestation of the divine Consciousness, it partakes in its luminous nature. In his Tantrāloka (TĀ ) Abhinavagupta writes: ́ “The supreme Reality of the knowable is Siva, whose nature is conscious light; in fact, what has not the nature of conscious light cannot be made manifest or have real existence.”488 In their explanation of this stanza Silburn and Padoux write: “In fact, according to the Trika, ultimate reality underlies both knowledge and the knowable or manifested world, of which it constitutes the ultimate nature. Luminous, this nature bestows its light upon all that exists.”489 While the passage from the TR conveys the same idea of the luminous nature of the whole reality, it is notable that “light” is not designated by the technical term prakās ́a, but by the words bhāna and bhāsanam. ̄ The latter also occurs in a kārikā in Utpaladeva’s Iśvarapratyabhijñā kārikā ̄ (IPK): “The multitude of things cannot but shine resting on the self of the Lord, otherwise that act of reflective awareness which is volition (icchāmarśaḥ) could not be produced.”490 The first half of this kārikā, with its assertion that all objective entities shine as the Self shines, and its use of the term bhāsanam, may be considered a possible source for this passage of the TR. This kārikā also introduces the idea of the link between volition and reflective awareness: in fact, the will can be exerted only upon an object that shines manifest before the self, so that the self may become aware of it. The concept of reflective awareness and of its essential connection with light is then elucidated in the following kārikā: “The essential nature of light is reflective awareness (vimarśam); otherwise light, though ‘coloured’ by objects, would be similar to an insentient reality, such as crystal and so on.”491 The author’s commentary (vṛtti) reads: “Reflective awareness (pratyavamarśaḥ) constitutes the primary essence (mukhya ātmā) of light. In the absence of this reflective awareness, light, though objects make it assume different forms, would merely be ‘limpid’, but not sentient, since there is no ‘savouring’ (camatkṛteḥ).”492 The ideas expressed in these kārikās connote fundamental tenets of the Pratyabhijñā school, which envisages ultimate Reality as prakās ́avimarśamaya, according to the synthetic formulation of Jaideva Singh.493 Traces of these ideas are also evident in the following passage of the TR: Tripurā, supreme ruler, [is] the cause of all causes, refuge of all [beings], inner Consciousness (citi) full of light and bliss. [9] Śiva, supporter of the whole world, [is] the embodiment of Consciousness (saṃ vid) and bliss: this Consciousness (saṃ vid) [is] her power [and] is called the power of Consciousness (cicchakti).494 [10] This Consciousness (citi) of the supreme Lord [is] the vibrating, glittering manifestation of action, whose essence is happiness, [it is] she, the great power of the supreme Lord, called reflective awareness (vimarśa).495[11]496

104  Philosophical and Theological Teachings Though declared to be the supreme ruler, Tripurā is associated with Śiva to form a complementary couple: whereas both are the embodiment of consciousness and bliss, the Goddess represents the energy of Consciousness (cicchakti);497 she is the power, simultaneously vibrating and flashing, of manifestation (sphūrti), which unfolds in an action (kriyā) permeated by happiness and pleasure (sukha). Moreover, in her relationship to the Lord, the Goddess represents the movement of the active, reflective awareness of the self (vimarśa). Remarkably, the term vimarśa does not occur in the YH,498 to which the TR is otherwise indebted in many respects; thus, the author(s) of the work may have taken this term and concept either directly or indirectly from the Kashmirian Śaiva authors. In fact, verse 11 of this passage of the TR seems to refer to the following kārikā: “It is the luminous vibrating (sphurattā), the absolute being (mahāsattā), unmodified by space and time; it is that which is said to be the heart (hṛdayam) of the supreme Lord, insofar as it is his essence.”499 The vṛtti reads: “... It is the power of the activity of consciousness, whose essence is reflective awareness. It constitutes the foundation of the self of ̄ the supreme Lord, who is all things; the various Agamas call it the ‘heart’.”500 The complementary character of the polarity, which, metaphysically, is expressed by the terms and concepts of prakās ́a and vimarśa, is articulated, theologically, as a relationship between the Lord and the Goddess in which neither of the two could exist without the other: As water to the ocean, as rays to the sun, as clay to the earth, so she is said [to be] the power of Śiva. [13] There is no god without her, anywhere, in any way, likewise [there is no] ocean without water [and there is no] sun without rays. [14]501 Furthermore: Because of [their] connection, without Śiva, Śakti never exists; [54cd] so also Śiva without Śakti, who is the self of his own being, [does not exist]. Indeed, where and when might the sun exist without its illuminating power? [55] Anyway how might Śiva be without Śakti, [who is] Consciousness? [56ab]502 This equilibrium of the divine couple is dynamic, so that one of the two may be regarded as surpassing the other alternately.503 Hence, the superiority of the Goddess over the Lord is claimed in the TR as follows: Even he (Maheśvara) is a share of her. She appears as the essence [of everything], the soul of all beings, said [to be] the supreme power of Consciousness. [92] ... Neither female, nor eunuch, nor male, Tripurā has Consciousness as her body; inaccessible by word and mind, she is made of non-perceivable consciousness. [94]504

Tripurā as Divine Consciousness  105 The Goddess is not only surpassing the Lord, she is beyond the polarity of masculine and feminine and yet, at the same time, she includes this polarity within herself, because she is “consisting of what is auspicious, in the form of Śiva, in the form of Śakti.”505 She is thus neither female nor male, and she is both male and female.506 Her all-embracing nature, subsuming any pair of opposites, is also expressed as follows: “I, the preceptor of the gods, say that truly you [are] the Reality: the subject (aham) and the object (idam), everything, o Mother, [is] you alone. … [68ab]”507 The terms aham (“I”) and idam (“this”) used in this statement are worthy of note. In Kashmirian Śaiva non-dualism the term aham designates the supreme conscious Subject united with his energy (śakti) and including within himself the whole manifestation of the universe; it is the divine Consciousness resting on itself.508 The term idam designates the objectivity, the objective world that opposes itself to the absolute I; it is all that is knowable by the knowing subject. About the supreme Lord, Utpaladeva writes: “The very Self of all creatures is Maheśvara, one, whose form is all, full of the undivided Consciousness ‘I-this’.”509 This undivided Consciousness of the fusion, beyond any duality, of subject and object, as well as of the unity, beyond any apparent plurality, ̄ is ascribed to Maheśvara,510 in the of subjects and objects, which in the IPK TR is attributed to the Goddess. This initial examination of some doctrinal passages of the mk shows that already in the section of the work upon which the present study mainly focuses, some fundamental ideas are set forth, and these clearly reveal the influence of the Pratyabhijñā. Accordingly, in the conceptualization of Tripurā as ultimate Reality, the Goddess personifies the energy permeating the supreme Consciousness (cicchakti); with respect to Śiva, who is luminous consciousness/conscious light (prakās ́a), the Goddess represents the active, reflective awareness of the self (vimarśa). Her dynamic, vibrating and flashing (sphūrti) power of manifestation, endowed with a free and playful will, is realized in her relation to the world.

The Goddess and the World The relationship of the Goddess to the world is envisaged in terms of all-­ pervasiveness and immanence: “She is the great space in which this world shines;511 she pervades the world, being herself the unchanging Subject who sees. [88]”512; how might even a blade of grass exist without the power of Consciousness (citiśakti)? [56cd] Truly Consciousness is everything, it is not at all otherwise. O descendant of Bhṛgu, know that whatever exists is Consciousness. [57] This is the Śākta doctrine, [maintaining that] there exists nothing different from the I. According to such a view, any blade of grass has the nature of Tripurā. [58]513

106  Philosophical and Theological Teachings In the above passages, the Goddess is identified with the Subject who sees, with the I. The idea of the immanence of the Subject in the world again refers to the Śaiva non-dualist notion of the absolute I (aham). This complex notion is elaborated by Abhinavagupta, who writes in his TĀ : “The reflective awareness of the All-pervading, in the non-duality of Śiva and Energy, i.e. of the Unsurpassable and the emission, on account of its fullness, is called the I.”514 Padoux’s explanation of this and of the stanzas that follow is based on the commentary by Jayaratha:515 this absolute I is Śiva who, inseparably united with his Energy, holds within himself the entire universe, being thus all-pervading (vibhu). The doctrine of the phonematic emanation of the universe – expounded in the chapter of the TĀ from which these stanzas are taken – highlights a further level of understanding of the word aham: since aham is formed by A and HA, the first and last phonemes of the Sanskrit alphabet, which include within themselves in a condensed form all the intermediate phonemes, the aham is regarded as encompassing the whole manifestation of the universe. These ideas, which are highly elaborated in Abhinavagupta, seem to be implicit in the text of the TR, where the identification of the Goddess with the I (aham) is connected with her all-pervasiveness. It should be noted that within the inseparable unity of Śiva and Śakti, the TR gives prominence to the component of Śakti, attributing to the Goddess alone the character of supreme Subject, of absolute I; as such she is immanent in the universe, which is all contained in her, while she permeates it completely. The immanence of the Goddess in the universe is upheld in many ways in the mk: O Śivā, o Goddess, … nothing exists in the world without your limitative power (kalā), thus you are the actual form of being, in what is real and also in what is not real. [17cd] ... Everything that appears, the one or the manifold, the external or the internal, even light or darkness,516 nothing exists without you, the Consciousness. Thus you [are] everything, [there is] nothing else but you. [21];517 “truly you are the cause of the connection of being and non-being [52ab]”;518 “thus [in] the whole visible and invisible world there is nothing that is different from you. [42cd]”;519 “you [are] the unparalleled, [your] body [is formed by] all the movable and immovable beings, [you are] she to whom the multitude of the worlds and the non-worlds has resorted [for refuge]. [38ab]”520 The first of these statements conveys the idea that the Goddess is present in the world by permeating everything with her kalā, by which term is to be understood that particular, fragmenting and obscuring, divine function or energy which promotes the appearance of the manifested world in all its opposite aspects and is accountable for the condition of living creatures as finite, limited beings.521 And yet, although this energy of hers determines the emergence of opposites, the Goddess encompasses them all, namely:

Tripurā as Divine Consciousness  107 real and not real (satya/asatya), one and manifold (abhinna/bhinna), external and internal (bahis/antar), light and darkness (prakās ́a/tamas), being and non-being (sad/asad), visible and invisible (dṛs ́ya/adṛs ́ya), movable and immovable (cara/acara), world and non-world (loka/aloka). Hence her kalā can also be compared to a connecting power which holds all things together: “Just as fabric is sewn lengthwise and crosswise by threads, as ornaments such as bracelets and so forth [are made] of gold, so, o Tripurā, the whole [world], supreme and not supreme, is sewn lengthwise and crosswise by [your] divine Energy (kalā). [39]”522 This immanence of the Goddess in the world, her being “viśvamayā”523 by means of her kalā, is beautifully expressed by Śivānanda in his Saubhāgyahṛdayastotra (SHS): “All that which shines in the manifold variety of forms, every object pertaining to space and time, it is she who shines in all these forms: I worship this dynamic energy (kalā) of Consciousness.”524 The working of this dynamics of Consciousness is not explained in an articulated manner in the mk, but is illustrated by various kinds of metaphors, which are indicative of the philosophical background of the ideas thereby suggested. Thus, at some point the Goddess is compared to a fruitful seed: “truly [you are] the seed of the bud of the entire worldly existence,”525 or: “you whose body, alone, is the good seed of all the buds [forming together] the net of the worlds’ garlands.”526 These images recall a simile that occurs in a verse of the Parātrı ̄ṃ śikā (PT), although the context is different and the simile concerns a particular mantra: “As the great tree exists in the form of energy in the seed of the banyan, so this world with its movable and immovable beings exists in the seed of the heart. [24c–25b]”527 The ideas conveyed by these metaphors harmonize with the satkār yavāda, the Sāṃkhya doctrine of causality, according to which the effect is already present potentially in its cause. This doctrine is related to the pariṇam ̄ avāda, asserting that “every apparent origination and destruction consists only in a recasting or a change (pariṇam ̄ aḥ) of existing matter,”528 so that “the total phenomenal world is already present here in the Ur-matter from eternity.”529 In compliance with this view, the whole universe is considered, in the TR, as existing in a potential state in the Goddess, i.e. in the divine Consciousness, and its appearance is regarded as the result of a transformation by which the divine Consciousness freely takes the form of the multifarious entities and living beings of the world.530 The mk contains further similes that illustrate this Sāṃkhya doctrine: As waves [are] to the ocean, as jars, jugs and vases [are] in relation to clay, as light [is] to the sun, as ornaments [are] in relation to gold, in the same way this whole [world] is shone forth out of you [who are] in the form of Consciousness.531 The similes related to jars and clay, or ornaments and gold, refer to a process by which a substance changes into its modifications, into concrete objects endowed with a particular shape and distinct characteristics; those

108  Philosophical and Theological Teachings related to waves and ocean, or rays and sun, apply instead to a phenomenon of emanation and projection of entities flowing out of their originating substance without taking a stable form. Notwithstanding this difference, in both cases there is a change of appearance, not of essential nature. This fundamental sameness of nature of the Goddess and the phenomenal world – envisaged as product of the evolution (pariṇam ̄ a) of prakṛti – is epitomized in her epithet pariṇatākhilā (“She who is all that is developed”).532 The Goddess is thus the essence, the underlying substance of all things, she is the stuff out of which all things in the world are made: “in all objects you are the reality.”533 However, as the highest Reality (mahātattva) in the YH, so the Goddess can be said to be both viśvamayā (“made of the whole world”) and viśvott ı ̄rṇa ̄ (“beyond the whole world”), i.e. both immanent and transcendent.534 Accordingly, the TR reads: O Goddess, indeed [it is] a great wonder [that, although] you yourself are present in the multiple variety of the worlds, always pervading it with [your] most manifest form, [nevertheless] [the exterior things such as] nails, [the sense organs such as] the ear and so forth, [the organs of action such as] speech and so forth and even [that which is] most intimate, the mind, by no means occur in you. [118]535 In accordance with the idea of the correspondence between cosmos and man, both permeated by the divine energy, the existence of the Goddess apart from the phenomenal world is exemplified as her otherness with respect to the psycho-physical apparatus of sentient beings. The apparent paradox of the simultaneous all-pervading presence and absolute aloofness and otherness of the Goddess with regard to the world is explained as the effect of her wonderful, magic power (māyā): You show your own form in that which is different from it: all this manifold extension of worlds that is contained, in various ways, in a portion of a small part of your body. This is your māyā. ... [80] O mother, you have the nature of māyā, because in your pure body you pass for the multifarious world; although you take manifold forms, [you are] the imperceptible śakti, whose unique form is Consciousness. ... [81]536 The Goddess’s māyā is thus the power to manifest herself in something other than herself, the world. As it is said: “this whole [world] is shone forth out of you [who are] in the form of Consciousness: immediately appeared [it is] in the form of Being, and yet in its wonderful appearance it is different from that [Being]. [67ab]”537 This power of unfolding in the world and, simultaneously, concealing her own being, her true nature, is evoked in the TR by an image which may imply a meaning beyond that which is immediately evident: “May there be the destruction and birth of countless universes thanks to the closing and opening of the eyes of she who is the embodied greatest Śakti! [120ab]”538

Tripurā as Divine Consciousness  109 This same image occurs in other Śākta texts. The SL reads: “From the closing and opening of your eyes the earth is dissolved and created, so say the wise, o daughter of the mountains’ king. [56ab].”539 One of the epithets of Lalitā in the LSN is: “By the opening and closing of whose eyes the series of the worlds is created and destroyed.”540 In these occurrences, including the TR, the opening (unmeṣa) and closing (nimeṣa) of the Goddess’s eyes correspond to the creation and destruction of the worlds, respectively. To better understand the meaning of this image and the possible connotations of the terms unmeṣa and nimeṣa, it is useful to examine its earliest occurrence in the Spandakārikā (SK) – the source of the Spanda school ascribed to Vsugupta’s disciple Bhaṭtạ Kallaṭa541 – where this image is referred to Śiva, but where unmeṣa corresponds to pralaya and nimeṣa to udaya.542 In his commentary (Spandanirṇaya), Kṣemarāja explains that unmeṣa and nimeṣa may refer not only to the appearance and dissolution of the world, but also to the unfolding and withdrawal of divine reality. Hence, as summarized by Singh: When there is unmeṣa or revelation of the essential nature of the divine, there is the pralaya or disappearance of the world. When there is nimeṣa or concealment of the essential nature of the divine, there is the udaya or appearance of the world.543 Even if in the text of the TR the correspondence between nimeṣa/unmeṣa and vilaya/udbhava is not reversed, as in the SK, it is possible that, in using this metaphor, the author(s) of the TR may have been aware of Kṣemarāja’s interpretation of its occurrence in the SK. Accordingly, this image, referred to the Goddess, might imply that in her act of manifestation of the world the Goddess withdraws her own nature, whereas in the dissolution of the world her true nature is brought to light. The Goddess’s immanence-and-transcendence, her all-pervasiveness and absolute otherness, in other words her identity-and-difference with regard to the world, are ascribed to her māyā which, according to the perspective from which she is considered, may appear as an illusionary or a creative power. Hence, from the viewpoint of limited beings, the illusionary character of māyā accounts for their being unable to perceive the elusive presence of the Goddess in the world: Some maintain that all this [world] is beyond duality; others that it [has the character] of duality, [and is thus] real and yet not real. These people, bewildered by your māyā, do not know you (the Goddess). You alone, in the form of Consciousness and bliss, you are everything. [18]544 Conversely, on the divine level, māyā represents a power exerted without any constraint or purpose, a power that prompts the overflowing of the free, playful and joyful divine energy. Accordingly, the appearance of the worlds, their existence and goal obey only the volitional power of the Goddess,

110  Philosophical and Theological Teachings are the mere product of her free playfulness (l ı ̄lā). It is said: “the grains of dust of the mundane egg of world and non-world have appeared as a slight trace of [your] divine play [1cd],”545 “this whole [world] is the product of your divine play [37c],”546 and the Goddess is addressed as “[you] whose divine play [constitutes] the sole aim of the multitude of the manifested worlds. [116c].”547 The Goddess’s entire cosmic activity thus results from the exuberance of her free and joyful energy bursting in her divine play, which baffles the beings living in the world.

Notes 471 TR, mk, 1, 2, 3d: yadakṣaraṃ paraṃ brahma jaganmālāmaṇiprabham | sarvaṃ sarvātmakaṃ sarvasāraṃ sarvapadās ́rayam || 2 || ... brahmarūpasvarūpakam || 3d ||. Further assertions of the identification of Tripurā with brahman are found in TR, mk, 8, 26cd; Ibidem, 44c–45a; Ibidem, 10, 116d; Ibidem, 59, 93d (all quoted and translated in the respective chapters of the Synopsis). 472 TR, mk, 2, 25c–26b, 27: yā sarvajagatāṃ hetur yayā sarvam idaṃ tatam || 25cd || yasyām atyeti sarvaṃ sā tripurā sarvato’dhikā | 26ab ... yasyāḥ prasādaleśena sarvaṃ svātmani saṃsthitaṃ | pratyaṇukṣaṇabhāgeṣu yā pūrṇa ̄ tripurā hi sā || 27 ||. 473 TR, mk, 1, 66ab: tvam evaikā seyaṃ niravadhimahāsá ktibharitā sthitā saṃvidrūpā sakalajagatām ādisamaye | 66ab. 474 Ibidem, 9, 41ab: sarvasyādau paracitivapuṣa ̄ vilasasi caikā śivarūpā | 41ab. 475 Ibidem, 9, 57b: saṃvinmātraikarūpiṇı ̄. 476 Ibidem, 51, 76d: saṃvidanuttaramātraśarı ̄rā. 477 Ibidem, 55, 59cd: iyaṃ parātparā devı ̄ saccinmātrasvarūpiṇı ̄. 478 Ibidem, 59, 87bc: sā devı̄ sarvataḥ parā | mahācitisvarūpā. 479 Ibidem, 46, 81cd: cidekarūpāvibhāvyaśaktiḥ. 480 Ibidem, 8, 26d: sahajacitprakāsá ̄tmikā. 481 Ibidem, 51, 76c: sarvābhāsanatanur api vitatā || 76c ||. 482 Ibidem, 2, 31d: svatantrā cidvilāsinı̄. 483 TR, jk, 7, 90c–91c: ataś cetana eveśas taddehaḥ syāc citiḥ parā || 90cd || citir eva mahāsattā samrājñı̄ parameśvarı̄ | tripurā || 91ac ||. 484 TR, jk, 11, 44c–45: sa śivaś citimātraikarūpaś citir avigrahā || 44cd || tripurānanta­ śaktyaikyarūpiṇı ̄ sarvasākṣiṇı ̄ | sā citiḥ sarvataḥ pūrṇā paricchedavivarjanāt || 45 ||. 485 See also TR, mk, 49, 10ab: śivaḥ … saṃ vidānandavigrahaḥ in the Eulogy of Tripurā, quoted and translated in Synopsis, Chapter 49. 486 TR, mk, 6, 66cd, 68–71b: sarveṣāṃ prāṇinām ātmā sākṣād eva paraḥ śivaḥ || 66cd || … naitāvad iha satyaṃ syād bhāti riktam api kvacit | tathā tathā bhāsanāt tu vinā kiñcin na vidyate || 68 || bhāsanaṃ bhānam eveha *nābhānād (em. Rao na bhānād) bhāsanaṃ pr̥thak | bhānaśaktir bhāsanaṃ hi bhānātmā paramaḥ śivaḥ || 69 || sa evātyacchayā śaktyā svayam ekaḥ sanātanaḥ | bhāsate vividhākāro vicitratvena sarvataḥ || 70 || sa evātmā tu sarveṣāṃ lokānāṃ nityasatprabhaḥ | 71ab. 487 This quality is also ascribed to the Goddess: see the locution sarvātmatva (TR, mk, 1, 68b) in the Hymn in Praise of the Young Girl-Mother, quoted and translated in Synopsis, Chapter 1. 488 TĀ , I, 52: jñeyasya hi paraṃ tattvaṃ yaḥ prakās ́ātmakaḥ s ́ivaḥ | na hy aprakāsá rūpasya prākās ́yaṃ vastutāpi vā || 52 || [M. K. Shāstri (ed.) 1918, vol. I: 89]. See also Fr. trans. by Silburn and Padoux in Silburn, Padoux (eds.) 1998: 89. 489 “Selon le Trika, en effet, la réalité suprême est sous-jacente aussi bien à la connaissance qu’au connu ou monde manifesté, dont elle constitue la nature ultime. Lumineuse, cette nature confère sa lumière à tout ce qui existe.” [Silburn, Padoux (eds.) 1998: 89].

Tripurā as Divine Consciousness  111

̄ 490 IPK, I, 5, 10: svāminaś cātmasaṃsthasya bhāvajātasya bhāsanam | asty eva na vinā tasmād icchāmarśaḥ pravartate || 10 || [Torella (ed.) 2013: 22, Eng. trans. in Ibidem: 118]. ̄ 491 IPK, I, 5, 11: svabhāvam avabhāsasya vimars ́am vidur anyathā | prakāsó ’rthoparakto’pi sphaṭikādijahvopamaḥ || 11 || [Torella (ed.) 2013: 22, Eng. trans. in Ibidem: 118]. For the translation of the technical term vimarśa as “reflective awareness”, see Torella 2013: XXIV, note 32. 492 Ibidem: prakāsá sya mukhya ātmā pratyavamarśaḥ, taṃ vinā arthabheditākārasya apy asya svacchatāmātraṃ na tvajāḍyaṃ camatkr̥ter abhāvāt || 11 || [Torella (ed.) 2013: 22, Eng. trans. in Ibidem: 118]. 493 See Singh (ed.) 1982: 5. 494 For the translation of the technical term cicchakti as “power of Consciousness”, see the relevant entry in TAK II 2004: 241–242. 495 See also TR, mk, 9, 87: “Truly this is the supreme Śakti, who is manifesting the whole [world]; she is the great power (śakti) of the supreme Lord, called reflective awareness (vimarśa).” iyan tu paramā śaktir yā samastavibhāvanā | sā śaktiḥ parameśasya vimarśākhyā mahattarā || 87 ||. 496 TR, mk, 49, 9–11: tripurā parameśānı̄ sarvakāraṇakāraṇam | sarvāsŕ ayā citiḥ pratyak prakāsá ̄nandanirbharā || 9 || śivaḥ sarvajagaddhātā saṃvi­dānandavigrahaḥ | tasyāḥ saṃvid iyaṃ śaktiś cicchaktir abhidhı̄yate || 10 || yā citiḥ parameśasya kriyāsphūrtiḥ sukhātmatā | sā śaktiḥ parameśasya vimarśākhyā mahattarā || 11 ||. 497 It is notable that in this passage the terms saṃ vid, referred to Śiva, and citi, referred to the Goddess, may be meant to express, respectively, the absolute and the dynamic aspects of Consciousness. [see the relevant remark in Padoux (ed.) 1994: 110, note 71]. 498 See Padoux (ed.) 1994: 60. ̄ 499 IPK, I, 5, 14: sā sphurattā mahāsattā deśakālāviśeṣiṇı ̄ | saiṣā sāratayā proktā hr̥dayaṃ parameṣt ̣hinaḥ || 14 || [Torella (ed.) 2013: 23, Eng. trans. in Ibidem: 121]. ̄ 500 IPK, I, 5, 14: ... saiva pratyavamarśātmā citikriyāsá ktiḥ | sā viśvātmanaḥ parameśvarasya svātma pratiṣtḥ ārūpā hr̥dayamiti tatra tatrāgame nigadyate || 14 || [Torella (ed.) 2013: 23–24, Eng. trans. in Ibidem: 122]. 501 TR, mk, 49, 13–14: samudrasya jalam iva sūr yasya kiraṇā iva | dharaṇyā mr̥ttikeveyaṃ śivasya śaktir ı̄ritā || 13 || na tayā vidyate devo vinā kvāpi kathañcana | jalaṃ vineva jaladhir vinevārko gabhastibhiḥ || 14 ||. 502 TR, mk, 79, 54c–56b: āsŕ ayatvācchivamr̥te śaktir naiva tu vidyate || 54cd || iti cen nijasattātmaśaktihı̄naḥ śivas tathā | prakāsá śaktihı̄no vai raviḥ kutra kadā bhavet || 55 || yathā tathā citiṃ śaktimr̥te syād vai śivaḥ katham | 56ab. 503 On the issue of the pre-eminence of either of the two partners of the divine couple in the Śāktaśaiva texts, Khanna writes: … whereas in the liturgical context Tripurā’s supremacy is unquestioned, her ontological status versus her male consort tends to be ambiguous. It is only in certain textual contexts that she appears to gain prominence. This, however, does not pose any problem for the authorities. For, the theoretical categories which the Traipuras inherited from the Śaiva masters were so conceived as to assimilate Śaiva and Śākta viewpoints without contradiction. (Khanna 1986: 89) In this regard, it is worth quoting the following half verse of the YH: “I am thus ordered by You who are the form taken by my own will, o Mistress!” [YH, 3, 202cd: evaṃ tvayāham ājñāpto madicchārūpayā prabho || 202cd ||, Eng. trans. in Padoux with Jeanty (ed.) 2013: 160]; in his commentary, Amtānanda states that without Śakti, the Goddess, Śiva would be incapable of doing or even saying anything [see D ı ̄pikā on YH, 3, 202cd: tvayā vinā’haṃ kim api kartuṃ na

112  Philosophical and Theological Teachings śaktaḥ, vaktuṃ na samarthaḥ, in Dviveda (ed.) 1988: 389]. On this half-verse and its commentary, Padoux writes: ́ Bhairava, the supreme God, a form of Siva, appears here as both dominant, since the Goddess is the form taken by his will, and subordinated, since he is ordered by the Goddess to question her. We may see this as expressing the contradiction between the metaphysical principle that the supreme transcending reality is the ́ ́ male Siva and the fact that theologically, the Goddess, Sakti, is the supreme ́ is metaphysically above her. deity. She is supreme, but Siva [Padoux with Jeanty (ed.) 2013: 160] ́ This contradiction, in which the Goddess and Siva alternate in the function of highest principle, depending on whether they are considered from a metaphysical or a theological viewpoint, is also found in the TR. 504 TR, mk, 59, 92, 94 : so’pi tasyā aṃsá bhūta iti sā sārarūpiṇı ̄ | sarvātmarūpā paramā citiśaktir udı̄ritā || 92 || ... na strı̄ na *ṣaṇḍo (em. ṣaṇḍho) na pumāṃs tripurā ciccharı̄riṇı ̄ | avāṅmanasagamyā sā cetyanirmuktacinmayı̄ || 94 ||. 505 TR, mk, 1, 3bc: ... śivātmakam | śivarūpaṃ śaktirūpaṃ ... || 3bc ||. 506 It is worth noting that in the DBhPur, within the narration of the journey of the great gods to the maṇidvı ̄pa, Brahmā asks the Goddess whether she is a male or a female (see DBhPur, III, 5, 46: pumān asi tvaṃ strı ̄ vāsi vada vistarato mama | jñātvāhaṃ paramāṃ s ́aktiṃ muktaḥ syā bhavasāgarāt || 46 || ). Devı̄’s reply is as follows: Always there is oneness rather than difference between him [i.e. the Puruṣa) and me. That one is I and I am he. Difference is due to error. He who knows our subtle inner nature is wise, and he shall be liberated from saṃ sāra without doubt. ‘One alone without a second’, verily that is the eternal Brahman. That becomes dual at the time of creation. … After the creation ends, I am neither a woman, a man, nor a eunuch. (DBhPur, III, 6, 2–4, 7ab: sadaikatvaṃ na bhedo’sti sarvadaiva mamāsya ca | yo’sau sāham ahaṃ yosau bhedo’sti mativibhramāt || 2 || āvayor antaraṃ sūkṣmaṃ yo veda matimān hi saḥ | vimuktaḥ sa tu saṃ sārān mucyate nātra saṃ s ́ayaḥ || 3 || ekam evādvit ı ̄yaṃ vai brahma nityaṃ sanātanam | dvaitabhāvaṃ punar yāti kāla utpitsusaṃ jake || 4 || … nāhaṃ strı ̄ na pumāṃ s ́ cāhaṃ na kl ı ̄vaṃ sargasaṃ kṣye | 7ab [Eng. trans. in Mackenzie Brown 1990: 209; see also Mackenzie Brown’s comment in Ibidem). Both in the DBhPur and in the TR, the identification of the Goddess with the highest principle (brahman in the DBhPur, Consciousness in the TR) is expressed by the idea of her being beyond any sexual identity. 507 TR, mk, 51, 68ab: suragurur aham evaṃ vacmi yat tattvam eva tvam aham idam itı̄yat sarvam amba tvam eva | 68ab. 508 See the relevant entry in TAK I 2000: 166. ̄ 509 IPK, IV, 1: svātmaiva sarvajantūnāmeka eva maheśvaraḥ | viśvarūpo’hamidamityakhaṇdạ m ̄ arśabr̥mhitaḥ || 1 || [Torella (ed.) 2013: 73, Eng. trans. in Ibidem: 210]. 510 See also the author’s vr̥tti and the explanatory notes by Torella in Torella (ed.) 2013: 210. 511 See also TR, mk, 1, 68ab: “Hence in this world there might be nothing that is distinct from your form. Since you are the self of all things, you shine forth always, the immensity of space being your body. [68ab]” (atas tvadrūpān no pr̥thag iha bhavet kiñcid api vā sadā sarvātmatvād vilasasi mahākāsá vapuṣa ̄ | 68ab). The all-pervasiveness of the Goddess is appropriately expressed by the metaphor which likens her to space. In fact, since the subtle element corresponding to space/ether (ākās ́a) is sound (śabda), the association of the Goddess to ākāsá may allude to the identification of Tripurā with the Sound-Word-Energy

Tripurā as Divine Consciousness  113 (this topic is discussed in Part II, Chapter 3). The metaphor which likens ākāsá and divine Consciousness, which is further elaborated in the jk of the TR, is discussed in Part II, Chapter 2. 512 TR, mk, 9, 88: mahākāsá ̄tmikā yasyāṃ jagad etad virājate | seyaṃ draṣtṛ ātmanā bhūtvā jagad vyāpya vyavasthitā || 88 ||. 513 Ibidem, 79, 56c–58: citiśaktyā parityaktaṃ tr̥ṇaṃ vāpi kathaṃ bhavet || 56cd || *satyāṃ (em. satyaṃ) citi hy *asmi (em. asti) sarvam anyathā na hi kiñcana | yad asti tac citir iti jānı̄hi bhr̥gunandana || 57 || etac chāktaṃ hi vijñānaṃ matto’nyan na hi vidyate | evaṃ buddhyā tu yat kiñcit tr̥ṇañ ca tripurātmakam || 58 ||. 514 TĀ , III, 203c–204b: anuttaravisargātmaśivaśaktyadvayātmani || 203cd || parāmarśo nirbharatvād aham ity ucyate vibhoḥ | 204ab [M. K. Shāstri (ed.) 1921: 198]. See also Fr. trans. by Padoux in Silburn, Padoux (eds.) 1998: 187. 515 See TĀ , III, 200b–208a in Silburn, Padoux (eds.) 1998: 187–189. 516 See also TR, mk, 30, 19cd: “you, the great Lady, whose nature is pacified and whose form is composed of darkness and light. [19cd]” tamo­ dı ̄ptisaṃ bhinnarūpāñ ca sá n̄ tasvarūpāṃ mahesı́ ̄ṃ ... || 19cd ||. These formulations recall a verse of the YH: “Since luminosity is the state of things that are luminous and also that of those that are dark, there is therefore a necessary and essential connection between the universe and the [highest reality] [75].” YH, 2, 75: tadā prakāsá mānatvaṃ tejesāṃ tamasām api | avinābhāvarūpatvaṃ tasmād visv́ asya sarvataḥ || 75 || [Eng. trans. in Padoux with Jeanty (ed.) 2013: 88]. 517 TR, mk, 30, 17cd, 21: śive devi … | na kiñcid vinā tvatkalām asti loke tataḥ satsvarūpāsi satye’py asatye || 17cd || abhinnaṃ vibhinnaṃ bahir vāntare vā vibhāti pakāsá s tamo vāpi sarvam | r̥te tvāṃ citiṃ yena no bhāti kiñcit tatas tvaṃ samastaṃ na kiñcit tvadanyat || 21 ||. 518 Ibidem, 9, 52ab: tvaṃ hi kāraṇarūpāsi sadasadvastusantateḥ | 52ab ||. 519 Ibidem, 9, 42cd: tasmāt tvatto nānyat kiñcana dr̥sý ādr̥sý aṃ jagadakhilam || 42cd ||. 520 Ibidem, 9, 38ab: sakalacarācaravapur ādyā tvaṃ svāsŕ italokālokagaṇā | 38ab. 521 For the different meanings of the technical term kalā in the various Tantric texts and traditions, see the relevant entry in TAK II 2004: 68–73; for this particular meaning, see Ibidem: 72, 8. 522 TR, mk, 9, 39: tantubhir otaḥ proto yadvat paṭa iha hemnā kaṭakādyam | akhilañcotaṃ protaṃ tadvat kalayā tripure paramaparam || 39 ||. 523 YH, 2, 74c. 524 SHS, 4: deśakālapadārthātma yad yad vastu yathā yathā | tat tad rūpeṇa yā bhāti tāṃ śraye saṃvidı̄ṃ kalām || 4 || [NṢA, app. p. 304. See also Fr. trans. in Padoux (ed.) 1994: 251]. 525 TR, mk, 1, 3a: yadevāsé ṣasaṃsāradalabı̄jaṃ ... | 3a. 526 Ibidem, 1, 66c: ... jaganmālājālāṅkuragaṇasubı̄jaikavapuṣā ... || 66c ||. 527 PT, 24c–25b: yathā nyagrodhabı ̄jasthaḥ śaktirūpo mahādrumaḥ || 24cd || tathā hr̥dayabı ̄jasthaṃ jagad etaccarācaram | 25ab. For the short commentary (laghuvr̥tti) of Abhinavagupta on this verse, and the related explanations, see Padoux (ed.) 1975: 39 and 115, notes 282, 283, 284. 528 Frauwallner 1993: 304. 529 Ibidem. 530 Incidentally, Padoux has also remarked that the teachings of the Śaiva nondualism regarding the transformation of the divine Consciousness into the cosmos are not far from the pariṇam ̄ avāda of the Sāṃkhya [see Padoux (ed.) 1994: 146–147, note 214]. 531 TR, mk, 1, 67a, cd: tataḥ saṃvidrūpā tava sakalam etad vilasitaṃ ... | yathāmbhodhau bhaṅgāḥ ghaṭakalaśakuṇḍā iva mr̥di prabhā bhānor yadvat kanakaśakalaṃ bhūsạ ṇagaṇāḥ || 67 ||. Similar images illustrate the relationship of the Goddess to Śiva (see TR, mk, 49, 13, quoted above). 532 See TR, mk, 28, 17d, in the Hymn of the 108 Names of Gaurı ̄, quoted and translated in Synopsis, Chapter 28.

114  Philosophical and Theological Teachings 533 Ibidem, 9, 53b: … tvaṃ satyaṃ sarvavastuṣu | 53b. 534 See YH, 2, 74c: viśvottı ̄rṇe viśvamaye, “both transcending the universe and identical with it” [Eng. trans. in Padoux with Jeanty (ed.) 2013: 87]. 535 TR, mk, 10, 118: mahaccitraṃ devi svayam iha jagadbhedanivahe sthitā saṃvyāpyāpi prakaṭataramūrtyā nanu sadā | nakhāni śrotrādı̄ny api vacanam­ukhyāny api tathā *pravarttete (em. pravartante) jātu tvayi nahi manopy antaratamaḥ || 118 ||. 536 Ibidem, 46, 80–81: yat te’khilaṃ lokavitānam etat *tanoḥ (em. tanvas) kalāṃsá pravibhaktasaṃstham | tadantare darśayasi svarūpaṃ māyā tavaitat ... || 80 || māyātmikā tvaṃ nijanirmale’mba yato jagaccitram udı̄r yase’ṅge | vicitrarūpāpi cidekarūpāvibhāvyaśaktiḥ ... || 81 ||. 537 Ibidem, 1, 67ab: tataḥ saṃvidrūpā tava sakalam etad vilasitaṃ vibhātaṃ sadrūpaṃ taditaravapuś cāpi sahasā | 67ab. 538 Ibidem, 10, 120ab: nimeṣonmeśābhyām agaṇitavidhātraṇḍavilayodbhavau syātāṃ yasyāḥ parataramahāsá ktivapuṣaḥ | 120ab. 539 SL, 56ab: nimeṣonmeṣābhyāṃ pralayam udayaṃ yāti jagatı̄ tavety āhuḥ santo dharaṇidhararājanyatanaye | 56ab. [Engl. trans. in Brown (ed.) 1958: 70]. 540 Epithet 281 in LSN, 2, 66ab: unmeṣanimeṣotpannavipannabhuvanāvalı̄. 541 For detailed information about the SK and its exegesis, see Sanderson 2007: 405–409. 542 See SK, 1: yasonmeṣanimeṣābhyāṃ jagataḥ pralayodayau | taṃ śakticakr­­a­ vibhavaprabhavaṃ śaṅkaraṃ stumaḥ || 1 || [Singh (ed.) 1980: 5]. 543 Singh (ed.) 1980: 23. For the entire commentary by Kṣemarāja on SK, 1, and the related notes and explanations by J. Singh, see Singh (ed.) 1980: 6–23. 544 TR, mk, 30, 18: asatyaṃ punaḥ satyam anye dvirūpaṃ dvayātı̄tam eke jaguḥ sarvam etat | na te tāṃ vidur māyayā mohitās te cidānandarūpā tvam evāsi sarvam || 18 ||. 545 TR, mk, 1, 1cd: yallı̄lāleśalasitā lokālokāṇḍareṇavaḥ || 1cd ||. 546 Ibidem, 9, 37c: lı̄lājanitaṃ sakalaṃ tat ... || 37c ||. 547 Ibidem, 10, 116c: ... sval ı ̄lāmātrārthaprakaṭitavidhātraṇḍavitatiṃ ... || 116c ||. It is notable that the divine play is expressed, in the TR, by l ı ̄lā, a more widely occurring word (see Böhtlingk 1990, Vol. 6: 554–555) than the technical term kr̥dā (see the relevant entry in TAK II 2004: 149), which is instead used, for instance, in the YH: “The highest reality shines, o Flame of the essence of the divine play!” YH, 2, 76ab: prakās ́ate mahātattvaṃ divyakrı ̄ḍar̄ asojjvale | 76ab [Eng. trans. in Padoux with Jeanty (ed.) 2013: 88]; this vocative, as Amtānanda explains, is addressed to the Goddess [see YH, 2, 76ab, comm.: divyakrı ̄ḍar̄ asojjvale | devyāḥ saṃ buddhiḥ … in Dviveda (ed.) 1988: 206; see also Padoux (ed.) 1994: 253–254].

2 The Reformulation of the Svātantryavāda and Ab̄ hāsavāda548

The idea of the spontaneous, wanton character of the cosmic divine play harmonizes with the concept of the absolute freedom and independence (svātantrya) of the godhead – here the Goddess – as well as with the related conception of the world envisaged as a manifestation, a reflection (ābhāsa) projected by the divine Consciousness within herself. In his Introduction to Kṣemarāja’s Pratyabhijñāhṛdaya (PH) – which is a synthetic presentation of the teachings of the homonymous school – Singh writes: “From the point of view of the creativity of Ultimate Reality, this philosophy is known as svātantryavāda; from the point of view of its manifestation, it is known as ābhāsavāda.”549 This twofold doctrine is incorporated in the doctrinal teaching of the TR, outlined in a few extracts of the mk, and extensively elaborated and discussed in the jk. Beginning with the mk, in a hymn in praise of Tripurā, the text reads: Your wonderful appearance, [all] exteriority suppressed, is like a mirror (darpaṇa) [that contains] the totality of this [world]. This is your great being, your victorious power, which accomplishes what is difficult to be accomplished. [77] O Lady, though [your] own form is all-pervading, by taking a limited form thanks to [your] power – [which is] difficult to be accomplished – you make appear all the manifold distinctions of perceiving subjects and perceived world. [78] You who, having taken a limited form, consider such manifold form of yours as binding, being aware [of it] in [your] consciousness, you appear as such again by virtue of [your] inner volition. [79] Thus you, [acting] under the impulse of your freedom (svātantrya), call into existence the vast divine play (lı ̄lā) [of the manifestation of the world] in the mirror of your own self (svātmādarśa) [and,] contemplating this work of yours, rejoice incessantly. O Goddess, homage to you! [80]550 The text conveys the idea that the all-pervading Goddess, according to her free will and by means of her unfathomable power, somehow contracts herself, taking the form of the limited subjects and objects of the world, DOI: 10.4324/9780429297380-9

116  Philosophical and Theological Teachings a world that is characterized by bondage; thus, projecting this world on her own self as if it were an image reflected in a mirror, she rejoices in her divine play. These verses seem to be based on an extract from the YH, which reads: When Consciousness becomes luminously aware of the universe [appearing] on the screen of her Self, filled with the desire for action, she [produces it] by her own free will. [56] [She is then] energy of activity, called mudrā because she gladdens the universe and makes it flow.551 According to Padoux’s explanation, based on Amṛtānanda’s commentary, when the Consciousness, which is energy of reflective awareness (cidvimarśaśakti), unfolds in the universe, projecting it on herself as its substratum, she becomes energy of action and rejoices in her own transformation by making the universe flow from Śiva to earth [where mūdrā is traditionally interpreted as signifying “rejoicing” (modanena) and “making flow” (drāvaṇena)].552 A collation of these two passages from the TR and the YH makes it possible to see the correspondences of terms and concepts. Parimṛs ́ya in the TR and āmarśane in the YH – both deriving from the root mṛs ́, from which the term vimarśa also stems – indicate the reflective awareness arising in the luminous consciousness, expressed by cit and prakās ́a, respectively; darpaṇa in the TR and bhittau in the YH indicate the mirror/surface on which the universe appears; antaryatnāt in the TR and svecchayā in the YH indicate the Goddess’s own will; her power to act, expressed by kriyās ́akti in the YH, corresponds in the TR to svātantryāt, which stresses the idea of a free, unbounded action; finally, nandasi in the TR and modanāt in the YH express the joy of the Goddess at her creative act. Both texts can be said to mean that, when the Goddess, alias supreme luminous Consciousness, becomes aware of the universe which is shining as an image reflected in the mirror/surface of her own self, then, urged by her own free will, she unfolds in this universe, playfully rejoicing in her unbounded action. The metaphor of the reflecting surface is taken up at other points in the mk: [You are] she in whose body appears, like a painting on canvas, the manifold series of tattvas from Śiva to earth; in the same way the sky with the moon and the stars [appear] in the water. You alone, the Supreme one, you are everything.553 and: “she alone is there, like a mirror on the surface of which the universe is taken as a picture.”554 The ideas inherent in these metaphors, which are only hinted at in the extracts of the mk quoted above, are further developed in the jk, where the analogy of the mirror occurs in several places, beginning with the opening

The Reformulation of the Svātantryavāda  117 verse of the Invocation: “O, homage [to you who are] appearing as origin [of everything] and bliss, [you] made of the supreme Consciousness, [you who are] appearing as a mirror [on which] shines the manifold wonder of the worlds. [1]”555 The reformulation of the ābhāsavāda found in the jk is a crucial element of the teachings of the work and clearly reveals the influence of the Kashmirian authors to whom this doctrine is ascribed. It is worth ̄ mentioning that in his Introduction to Utpaladeva’s IPK, Torella remarks that an “original contribution by Utpaladeva to the philosophy of the Pratyabhijñā is the doctrine of the ābhāsas”;556 according to Utpaladeva, “every aspect of reality is a light; it is a reflection in the mirror of consciousness and has its ultimate Reality in consciousness.”557 Torella also confirms that the doctrine of the ābhāsas, elaborated first by Utpaladeva and later by Abhinavagupta, left traces in the scriptures of the Tripurā tradition, such as the YH and the TR.558 To begin with a general principle, in the jk it is maintained that every manifested thing exists within that which manifests it.559   Moreover, everything which is manifested, whether inside or outside, abides within the manifesting light; the whole world is absorbed in this light, i.e. in the supreme Consciousness, called Tripurā, which freely manifests herself, everywhere and always, within herself.560 This fundamental tenet that nothing exists outside the luminous consciousness, or conscious light, which is to be regarded as the “absolute inside” (according to the locution ̄ used by Hulin561) is also upheld in Utpaladeva’s IPK: “Insofar as they are essentially constituted by consciousness (cinmayatve) the manifestations permanently reside internally; insofar as they are manifested as external owing to the power of māyā, they also exist externally.”562 To illustrate this idea of the “absolute inside”, the text of the jk again makes use of the analogy of the mirror and its reflections. Thus, one reads that just as the images reflected in a mirror are, notwithstanding their distance from it, reflections that abide within the mirror, in the same way the whole universe is contained in the divine Consciousness and is supported by the great Goddess.563 Moreover, it is claimed that this world, although regarded as exterior, is in fact a purely mental creation (bhāvanā) projected onto the undeveloped, which is itself made of consciousness; the variegated world is painted onto the canvas of the undeveloped, a canvas woven by consciousness within herself.564 Such statements may be elucidated in the light of the relevant considerations made by Abhinavagupta.565 In his comparison of the ontological status of the world with respect to its reflection in the divine Consciousness, to that of an original image (bimba) with respect to its reflection (pratibimba) in a mirror, Abhinavagupta notes that, whereas an original image – for instance a face – exists outside the mirror in which it is reflected, the world does not exist outside the divine Consciousness, independently from her, but rather is blended (miśra) with her. The status of the world is thus comparable to the status of a reflection for, just as a

118  Philosophical and Theological Teachings reflected image is blended with its support, i.e. the mirror, in the same way the world is blended with its support, i.e. the divine Consciousness; however, in the case of the world there is no external, original image, because it is the divine Consciousness herself which makes the image of the world appear within herself.566 To strengthen the tenet that the world exists only inside the divine Consciousness, the TR asserts that the whole universe, which is reflected in the Goddess Tripurā (alias supreme Consciousness) like a city in a mirror, though appearing as separate (vibhinnavat) from her, is not separate (avibhinna) from her.567 Not only is the world not separate from the divine Consciousness but, what’s more, it is not different from her. In fact, it is said that, just as without a mirror no reflected image can appear, so without consciousness nothing can shine; hence just as the reflection is not different (na-atirikta) from the mirror, so there is nothing different from consciousness.568 This idea of non-difference between the supreme Consciousness and the world, is also expressed, mutatis mutandis, at the beginning of the third chapter of the TĀ : Thus, the supreme Lord, who is completely free, manifests in the sky of his own self the whole immensity of the cosmic emanations and reabsorptions. As in a clear mirror appear, without merging together, earth, water and so on, in the same way in the unique Lord, pure Consciousness, [shine] all the modes of existence of the universe.569 In his commentary, Jayaratha explains that, just as the diverse forms reflected in a mirror – which are different from one another – also appear as different (atirikta) from the mirror, although they are not different (anatirikta) from it, in the same way the cosmos, though appearing as different from the Lord, is not truly different from him and, in all its variety and manifoldness, is simply a reflection within the divine Consciousness.570 Therefore, both the TĀ and the TR maintain that, just as the images of the objects reflected in a mirror may appear as distinct from the reflecting surface of the mirror, yet, as reverberations, they do not have an existence separate from that of the mirror which contains them, so in the same way the cosmos, shining in all its manifoldness, does not have an existence independent from the divine Consciousness which manifests it. Thus, the whole cosmos is nothing but an image reflected in the mirror of the divine Consciousness. This metaphor is also used to account for the consistency between the oneness of the divine Consciousness and the manifoldness of the world. Thus in the TR it is stated that, just as a mirror seems affected by the multiple images reflected in it, even though its surface is uniform, in the same way the Consciousness, though being one, appears as manifold because of the variety of her manifestations.571 To explain this apparent contradiction, it is stated that, as it is only possible for a city to be reflected in a mirror

The Reformulation of the Svātantryavāda  119 in all its rich variety thanks to the fullness, density and uniformity of the reflecting surface of the mirror, in the same way the entire multifarious world can abide in the full, dense and uniform Consciousness.572 Thus, it is in virtue of a perfect purity that the unity of the mirror is not affected by the diversity of the images reflected in it, and, in the same way, the unity of Consciousness is not altered by the variegated world shining in her. This view is illustrated by a comparison between Consciousness and space (ākās ́a), which deserves a brief digression. It may be argued that space, having the nature of void, can contain anything, also that which is different from itself, such as the world, whereas Consciousness, which is undivided fullness, could not uphold even the slightest trace of duality. However, in the TR it is maintained that it is thanks to her freedom that the divine Consciousness, without making use of any material whatsoever, is able to make the variety of the movable and immovable beings appear in the mirror of her own uniform essence.573 Thus, it is on account of her freedom that Consciousness can hold within her fullness the manifoldness of the world, in the same way as space in its emptiness. The similarity between Consciousness and space is taken up again at another point in the text, where it is said that, although the conscious principle differs from space because consciousness is self-illuminating, conscious Self and space are endowed with similar characteristics, namely: both are filled, subtle, pure, existing from all eternity and infinite, formless, support of everything, free from obstacles, present inside and outside everything. However, their difference consists in the fact that space is devoid of consciousness, it does not think, otherwise it could be equated with the Self. Whereas ignorant people do not see any difference between the Self and space and equate space with the Self, erroneously attributing to space the characteristics of the Self, the sages see that it is the Self that shares some characteristics of space.574 This means that the similarity holds true in one sense only: even if one can attribute some characteristics of space to Consciousness, because she is the whole Reality in which space is included, the opposite does not hold true.575 This analogy between Consciousness and space may have been suggested to the author(s) of the TR by the concept of “space of consciousness” (cidvyoman or cidākās ́a), which occurs very frequently in the MU.576 However, the analogy has different meanings and implications in the two works, because of their opposing views about the reality of the world. In fact, as Hanneder remarks, in the radical acosmism of the MU the ontological status of the world is that of “utter non-existence” (atyantābhāva),577 therefore “although the world appears within the space of consciousness, the latter remains empty, since the world does not exist in any sense. … cit is figuratively called ākās ́a because of its emptiness.”578 For the TR instead, the first among the characteristics common to Consciousness and space is not their being empty (śūnya), but their possibility of being filled (pūrṇa, in TR, jk, 18, 73a); moreover, the TR shares the realistic idealism of the Pratyabjijñā, according to which the world contained in the space

120  Philosophical and Theological Teachings of Consciousness partakes in the reality of the divine Consciousness which manifests all things. Whereas for the MU “there cannot be anything that is not consciousness and this excludes the possibility that there exists an objective world outside consciousness,”579 for the TR Consciousness is not only the sole reality, but is the whole reality, in which the world is included. However, Hanneder remarks that in the MU “the comparison of consciousness with ākāsá adds an aspect of spatial differentiation that is useful for explaining the appearance of the world,”580 as well as that of the individual subjects.581 Through the scrutiny and discussion of several text passages, Hanneder detects a “fusion of a radical illusionism with an almost substantial view of the space of consciousness.”582 If this hypothesis could be “confirmed by further studies based on more material,”583 the possible reference, in the TR, to the concept of cidākāsá derived from the MU would not be so utterly in contrast with the general view upheld in the TR. Returning to the issue of consistency between oneness and manifoldness, ̄ this problem is also tackled by Utpaladeva in his IPK where, within a discussion on causal relation, he explains that, as far as the fact of being a cause is concerned: This is not possible for an insentient reality, because its nature which is single would conflict with its appearing in differentiated forms. On the contrary, it is possible for an absolutely limpid (svacche), unitary, conscious reality, because there is no conflict here between its unity and its capacity to receive manifold reflections.584 Utpaladeva underscores the fundamental difference between an insentient (jaḍa) and a conscious reality, thus demonstrating the limits of the analogy between mirror/space and Consciousness. This fundamental difference is also elucidated in the TR, where it is reaffirmed that, for all things the fact of being (astitā) is none other than manifestation (prakās ́a), which is itself Consciousness, and the highest form of manifestation is that which is produced freely. Now, whereas insentient realities are not self-manifesting, because they appear on account of Consciousness, Consciousness instead, without depending on anything else, manifests herself in herself.585 It is then reasserted that, as the existence of a mirror conditions that of the images reflected in it, so the existence of Consciousness conditions that of all things.586 However, whereas mirrors, which are insentient things, devoid of freedom, depend on the presence of external objects as original images (bimba) to reflect them, Consciousness in her absolute and pure freedom (svātantrya) manifests in herself her own reflections.587 Moreover, a major characteristic of Consciousness is that, though reflecting like a mirror the multifarious world, her own essence remains unaltered.588 Therefore, besides the fact – remarked by Utpaladeva – that, unlike the mirror, which is insentient, Consciousness is sentient, an essential exception

The Reformulation of the Svātantryavāda  121 in the analogy of the mirror is to be made on account of the absolute freedom and independence (svātantrya) of Consciousness, considered as an essential characteristic of hers. A further argument, connected with this line of reasoning, can be found in the commentary by Jayaratha on the following statement of the TĀ : “Thus this whole universe is an image reflected in the pure sky of the Bhairavic Consciousness, in the Lord, without the aid of anything else.”589 Jayaratha explains that the luminous and absolutely free nature of the Lord is essentially related to reflective awareness (vimarśa).590 Then, quoting from other sources, he writes: The whole universe shines within the self, like a many-coloured picture in the midst of a mirror. However, Consciousness, by a movement consisting in the reflective awareness of her own self, is fully aware of the whole, but it is not so for a mirror.591 By developing and deepening the analogy of reflection, Abhinavagupta had defined the ontological status of the world, envisaged as a reflection in the divine Consciousness, and he had shown its substantial difference from an original, external image which is reflected in a mirror. Jayaratha clarifies the peculiarity of the Consciousness and her difference from a material mirror. In fact, unlike a mirror that, as an insentient object, needs an external light to reflect anything, the divine Consciousness is herself essentially light; furthermore, she is aware of the world appearing within herself, because it is she who emanates this world, projecting it as a reflection within herself.592 Thus, by demurring to the analogy between divine Consciousness and mirror, the authors of the Pratyabhijñā emphasize the main characteristics of divine Consciousness, namely vimarsá and, closely connected with it, svātantrya. Her sovereign freedom opens the possibility of the manifestation of the world and of its being endowed with ontological substance. In fact, as remarked by I. Ratié, both Utpaladeva and Abhinavagupta make use of another analogy, that of the creations by the yogin – to be considered as more cogent than the analogy of the insentient mirror – to show the essential characteristics of the divine Consciousness.593 Accordingly, in his ̄ Utpaladeva writes: “Indeed, the Conscious Being, God, like the yogin, IPK independently of material causes, in virtue of His volition alone, renders externally manifest the multitude of objects that reside within Him.”594 In his commentary (vimarśinı )̄ on this kārikā, Abhinavagupta argues that, since the yogin is able to create various objects by a mere act of his will (icchā), without resorting to any material cause (nirupadāna), his free creations constitute an appropriate example to show how the divine Consciousness, on account of her freedom, manifests the world independently from any material cause.595 Furthermore – adds Abhinavagupta – the analogy of the yogin shows that it is thanks to her freedom that the divine Consciousness

122  Philosophical and Theological Teachings can take any objective form, manifesting the diverse objects, which appear as distinct from her only to the empirical subjects, but which are in reality identical with her.596 Ratié observes that both the analogy of the mirror and that of the yogin are simply examples (dṛṣtạ n̄ ta) quoted to illustrate, not to demonstrate, the thesis of the Pratyabhijñā,597 and traditionally “the example has the function of rooting reasoning into experience … it is set forth to show that reasoning cannot be carried out without taking experience into account.”598 The TR also opts frequently for examples (as well as tales) to illustrate its doctrinal teachings; in fact, in its concluding verses, the whole jk is praised as grounded on solid arguments and direct experience.599 The TR too makes use of the analogy of the creations by the yogin, but the purpose of presenting this example and the conclusions which are drawn from it seem to diverge from the tenets of the Pratyabhijñā. The creative powers of the yogin are highlighted in the story of a yogin who, by means of his meditative realization (bhāvana )̄ , brought into existence a whole universe inside a mountain.600 This story is told to illustrate the statements that the world appears to everyone according to his own imagination,601 and that it seems endowed with reality only on account of and according to the bhāvanā that makes it real.602 Comparing the respective creative powers of the divine and human imaginations, the text states that before creation the divine Consciousness is absolutely pure, and upon creation her great freedom takes the form of an imagination (saṃ kalpa) which makes the world appear like an image reflected in herself. It is thanks to the steadfastness of her great imagination that the world has duration, and it is because of the fullness of her freedom that the world is common to all (sādhāraṇa). On the contrary, on account of the restriction (saṅkoca) of their imagination, human beings are only able to create private worlds, which cannot be common to all.603 ̄ K, I.5.7), Utpaladeva In this regard, besides the kārikā quoted above (IP explains elsewhere in his vṛtti that the individual subject (and a fortiori the yogin) truly has a creative power, akin to the Lord’s, because his nature, although he may ignore it, is identical with that of the Lord. However, whereas the phenomenal world created by the Lord is common to all subjects, individual creations are not common to all (sādhāraṇa), and they cannot be experienced by other subjects. Moreover, all that which is created by the individual subject depends upon the world created by the Lord.604 For Utpaladeva, whereas the worlds created by the limited powers of human beings lack solidity and permanence (sthairya) and cannot be common to all (sādhāraṇa), the world manifested by the infinite power and absolute sovereign freedom of the divine Consciousness draws its reality from that of the divine Consciousness herself. Therefore, the analogy of the yogin aims both at evoking the sovereign freedom of the divine Consciousness and at advocating the reality of the world manifested by her. For the TR instead, the lesson that can be drawn from experiencing a world created by a yogin is that the world is none other than the mental

The Reformulation of the Svātantryavāda  123 creation, the creative imagination (bhāvanā) that one projects upon it; in the very moment in which that imagination vanishes that world dissolves too. Hence – the text states – the world is like a dream. In fact, in both the dream and the waking state one projects oneself, like an image on a mirror, on the surface of one’s own consciousness.605 Comparing the world of the experience of waking with the world of dreams, it is remarked that the experiences of both waking and dreams are consistent while they last. Moreover, if the world of dreams is invalidated (bādhita) in the waking state, the world of waking is also invalidated during deep sleep. Finally, in both the experiences of waking and dreams the impression of continuity (anuvṛtti) is illusory, because even in the world of waking things are changing incessantly. Consequently, the world of dreams may be considered as being as purposeful (arthakriyākārin, TR, jk, 13, 78ab), non-contradicted (abādhita, Ibidem) and steady (sthira, Ibidem) as the world of waking. Hence man realizes, through his experience of yogic creations as well as through his dreams, that the world is nothing but his own mental creation, a product of his creative imagination, so that like Prospero, he might say: “We are such stuff as dreams are made on and our little life is rounded with a sleep.”606 This would entail that the world is evanescent like a dream and devoid of ontological substance. As a matter of fact, the attitude of the author(s) of the TR to the issue of the reality of the world is not unproblematic and the text expresses, at various points, different and somewhat contradictory views. Indeed, following the remark regarding the creative powers of the divine and human imaginations, the text states that: Whereas things created by a yogin are manifested outside himself on account of his limited powers, this world created by the Lord-whois-Consciousness (cinnātha) abides inside himself on account of his boundless powers. [73c–74b] Therefore, insofar as it differs from the conscious self, the world is not real, like a reflected image which does not exist without a mirror. Thus, the non-reality [of the world] results from this consideration. [74c–75]607 The text asserts here that the difference/separateness (vyatireka, v. 74d) of the world from the divine Consciousness proves its non-reality (asatyatā, Ibidem). The use of the technical term vyatireka – which, besides its literal meaning of “difference, separateness”, connotes a “logical discontinuance” – is an apt one since it suggests that the contrast between the world and Consciousness is such that the absolute and full reality of Consciousness excludes the possibility of the existence of anything else, anything that might be different from her. In fact, the conclusion of this passage is as follows: That which is real would never give up its own nature, whereas that which is non-real would do so. Look, o Rāma, this world is by nature

124  Philosophical and Theological Teachings very unsteady. [76] One can ascertain that reality and non-reality manifest in completely different ways, like a mirror and its reflections. [77] The mirror is immovable, the reflections are movable; in the same way the world is movable, and Consciousness is immovable. This is recognized by everybody. [78] Therefore these considerations prove that all things are insubstantial. [79ab]608 The authors of the Pratyabhijñā were aware of the risk inherent in the analogies of the dream (svapna) and of the imagination (saṃ kalpa). Although these analogies may be apt for conveying the idea of the spontaneity by which a wonderful diversity of worlds can arise from the subject, they may also lead to the conclusion of the unreality of the phenomenal world, because the images arising in dreams, or fashioned by the imagination – with which the phenomenal world is compared – cannot withstand the objections of being unsteady (asthairya) and of not being common to all (asādhāraṇya).609 This is what occurs in effect in the TR, where the analogies of the dream and of the imagination are conducive to a sense of universal relativity, expressed in the statement that the world is like a dream.610 In the story mentioned above, this is the lesson imparted to the prince when he experiences the world created by the yogin. After exploring the universe inside the mountain under the guidance of the yogin, the prince learns from him that the day they had spent there had been equivalent to millions of years in the ordinary world, thus apprehending the relativity of the space-time frames of ordinary human experience. The idea of the insubstantiality of the world does not derive from the Pratyabhijñā which did, however, exert a definite influence on the doctrinal teachings of the TR; all the more so since – as will be shown – in another part of the text the TR upholds the claim of the reality of the world, in agreement with the Pratyabhijñā. To account for these inconsistencies within the text, it may be possible to hypothesize the influence of a different philosophical background, namely, the pure idealism and illusionism of the MU/YV. As Ā treya summarized in his pioneering study, according to the philosophy of the YV: The objective world is a manifestation of the mind. It is a system of ideas, a play of mentation. Everything is a creature of the mind as dream-experiences are. … On this view there is little or no difference between the waking-world and the world of dreams, with regard to the quality of their contents. Both are alike in nature and, as long as each lasts, it gives us the same sense of reality and stability as the other.611 Hanneder sums up the relevant view of the MU in a similar way: “The world that merely appears to a perceiver has the ontological status of a mirage, or a dream; there is thus, in other words, no fundamental difference between

The Reformulation of the Svātantryavāda  125 the waking and the dream state.”612 To quote just two among the many instances of formulations of these ideas in the text of the YV: “The worldly existence is the playful manifestation of the mind, as it is admitted. Indeed, the world is [essentially] mental, it is the playful manifestation of the infinite, almighty Being. [25]”;613 “Heaven, earth, wind, space, mountains, rivers, the quarters of the sky, everything is an imaginary creation, which has thus the same nature as dreams. [35]”614 Such tenets as these can be thus considered as the source of the ideas expressed in the passage of the TR quoted above and in the related discussion concerning the alleged difference between dream and waking.615 Furthermore, in the TR passage that asserts the insubstantiality of all things and even the non-reality (asatyatā) of the world,616 it is possible to detect the impact of the acosmism of the MU/YV. In fact, as regards the criteria of reality adopted by the YV, Ā treya writes: The test of reality is eternal persistence. That which has a beginning or an end cannot be said to be real. Nothing in the world is absolutely real according to this test of reality, for everything comes into existence and goes out of it. The Absolute alone is real. The world is only an appearance, a phenomenon. It is real only relatively to the individuals who experience it and to the time when it is being experienced. It is like a dream or mirage.617 In the same way, the text of the TR indicates the unsteadiness of the world – which is qualified as aticañcala – as a proof of its insubstantiality.618 However, even if the non- existence of the world is repeatedly advocated by the MU/YV,619 one should not overlook the fact that the acosmism of the MU/ YV is somehow tempered by a certain relativism. The YV states that the world is both real and unreal, or alternatively, that it is neither real nor unreal: “This continued existence of the world, with the rich variety of its modifications, appears as real in the same manner as unreal: it is a source of illusion even for the wise. [9]”;620 “O wise, this wide, threefold world is said to be neither being nor non-being: it is nothing but the creation of the reflecting mind. [23]”621 The intermediate status of the world, between being and non-being, is also asserted in the MU: “The absolute is unborn, unimpeded, only being, consisting of space and pacified. The world is merely an appearance within consciousness and halfway between being and non-being.”622 As explained by Hanneder, there is truly only one Reality, which can be said to be sadasad, because of its two aspects, namely: the Absolute, brahman, which is pure sat, and the phenomenal, the world which, though appearing as real (sat), is ultimately unreal (asat) compared with brahman.623 The presence of these non-univocal statements about the reality of the world is due to the method of gradual instruction adopted by the MU/YV; one should therefore cautiously interpret such statements as these, taking into account the perspective in which they are pronounced, and assessing their relative validity, according to whether they pertain to preliminary or final teachings.624

126  Philosophical and Theological Teachings To conclude, the similarities between certain statements of the TR and some formulations of the MU/YV which have been remarked above can certainly be explained by acknowledging the presence of several influences from different sources, and particularly in the case of a text like the TR, whose philosophical teachings make it difficult to classify according to one exclusive doctrinal standpoint. Moreover, the inconsistencies within the text of the TR may be the result of interpolations, which are, however, difficult to ascertain. It is also possible that these apparent inconsistencies may have an internal raison d’être, which can be understood by considering the way in which the doctrinal teachings of the TR are expounded. In fact, the method of gradual instruction, which is a major feature of the MU/YV, is also used by the author(s) of the TR. The teachings are not revealed in a straightforward manner, but are disclosed progressively by the spiritual teacher (Dattātreya), with digressions imposed by the doubts and perplexities expressed by his disciple (Paraśurāma), considering the degree of development of the latter’s spiritual maturity. From this perspective, the sense of universal relativity and insubstantiality of the world can be said to represent the limited point of view of the finite subject who, though aware of the vanity of human existence and in search of the liberating knowledge, is still bound and, being unable to see the world as ultimately identical with the Self, considers all things to be as evanescent as dreams. It is precisely this world, insofar as it is apprehended as identical with the Self, that will appear as real to the liberated subject. In the MU/YV instead, the same method of instruction leads to opposite conclusions, so that to the liberated, the world appears finally as unreal: For the unborn, pacified space of consciousness appears spontaneously (svayam) everywhere [and] always as the world, because of its nature as consciousness, through itself and in itself. [12] But for him, who understands [this], this [world] is emptier than empty space; for him who does not understand [this], this [world] is like a diamantine mountain. [13]625 As far as the TR is concerned, the progression of the exposition of the teachings, corresponding to the development of the receptiveness of the disciple, takes a different direction. If, at an earlier stage, an illusionistic outlook results from the remark (made by the yogin in the story of the universe inside the mountain) that the levels of reality of dream and waking can be equated, because, like the world of waking, the world of dreams is not contradicted (abādhita, TR, jk, 13, 78ab); conversely, in a later discussion about the criteria of reality, Dattātreya states that the difference between real and non-real does not lie in the possibility of non-being or being invalidated, respectively,626 but rather in the fact that only that which can manifest by itself, independently from anything else, is real, and all the rest is unreal. Hence Consciousness, which is ever self-manifest, is the sole reality.627 This acknowledgement that only Consciousness is real leads to

The Reformulation of the Svātantryavāda  127 the recognition that all that which is manifested by Consciousness partakes with her reality. Thus, the concluding verses of the jk state that, “for he who has known Reality, the world – though continuing to appear as endowed with all its qualities – is [perceived as] nothing other than his own self.”628 Finally, it is advocated that: The statement that the world does not exist [is to be regarded as] an incomplete point of view, o son of Bhṛgu. In fact, the conviction that it does not exist is untrue and can never be admissible; moreover, this is evident on account of the existence of the sādhaka himself, who holds this point of view about the world. How could the dissolution of the world come about simply by the negation of its existence? [100–101] As a city [reflected] in a mirror draws all its existence from the very condition of the mirror, in the same way the reality of the world is claimed on account of its having the same nature of the pure Consciousness. [102] To give up this full knowledge [would entail] a restriction [of the pure Consciousness]; it is because of the excellence of her own majesty that the knowing [subject] is grasped only through the knowable world. [103]629 These statements are in full agreement with the Pratyabhijñā’s concept of the ontological status of the world in terms of a realistic idealism. As Abhina­ vagupta writes: “Thus the universe, reflecting itself in the mirror of Consciousness, avers the purity of the cosmic form of the Lord.”630 In his commentary Jayaratha explains that the Lord’s own pure form is that of the universe, which is inseparable from him, and he concludes: “This whole universe is the form of the sole, unique, supreme Lord, who is Consciousness.”631 Thus – as stated in the text of the TĀ – the world partakes of the qualities of the Lord: “This universe, reflected in Consciousness, will retain all her essential qualities: brightness, freedom etc.”632 Jayaratha adds: “Therefore this whole universe, all the knowable, becomes the body of the supreme Lord, who is light.”633 The teaching of the way of the Lord is synthesized as follows: “All this is arisen from me, is reflected in me, is inseparable from me.”634 In conclusion, scrutiny of the relevant passages from the mk and jk of the TR has shown that the twofold doctrine of the svātantryavāda and ābhāsavāda, even if not systematically treated, was successfully incorporated into the Śākta outlook of the text, thereby amounting to an essential element of the philosophical and theological teachings of the TR. The references to the Kashmirian sources which inspired the ideas expounded in the TR helped to elucidate these ideas and to give them consistency. The first quoted passage from the mk, read in the light of the quoted verses from the YH, contained the essential notions of this doctrine in a nutshell, namely: the Goddess’s awareness of the world reflected in her own self, her will to act and her sovereign freedom which shapes her playful, joyful creative act of manifestation of the universe.

128  Philosophical and Theological Teachings The subsequent comparison between the relevant passages from the jk of the TR and some extracts from the works by Utpaladeva, Abhinavagupta and his commentators, showed how the versatile metaphor of the mirror and its reflections was worked out: on the one hand, this metaphor proved apt for showing the inwardness, non-separation and ultimate non-­difference of the multifarious world with respect to the one divine Consciousness; on the other hand, this analogy revealed its limits, because the insentient mirror was considered an inadequate touchstone for expressing the active awareness and sovereign freedom of the divine Consciousness. To solve this problem, the authors of the Pratyabhijñā availed themselves of other analogies, particularly that of the creations by the yogin, to express the free creativity of the divine Consciousness, and thereby, to uphold the ontological substance of the world, in accordance with their realistic idealism. In his/their interpretation of the analogy of the yogin, and even more so in his/their choice of the analogies of dream and imagination, the author(s) of the TR instead betrayed the influence of the pure idealism and illusionism of the MU/YV, thereby diverging from the conclusions of the Pratyabhijñā. This ambivalent attitude towards the issue of the reality of the world is in consonance with the aporetic outlook characterizing the sapiential dialogues of the jk, in which the pupil is continuously baffled by the disorienting stories and paradoxical examples by which the spiritual teacher challenges his common-sense certitudes. However, in the final chapter of the jk, where Dattātreya is requested by Paraśurāma to summarize the essence of his teaching, the realistic side of idealism eventually prevails. It is worth remarking that such acknowledgement of the reality of the world harmonizes also with the soteriology of the TR, which envisages the possibility of a liberation in this life (jı ̄vanmukti) and in this world, where the liberated continues to take part in the ordinary life, while at the same time maintaining his equanimity and detachment.

Notes 548 An abridged version of this chapter has been published in Cracow Indological Studies, Vol. XXI, Nr. 1 (2019), 247–271. 549 Singh (ed.) 1982: 17. 550 TR, mk, 51, 77–80: naipuṇyam etad darpaṇasadśaṃ bāhyanirodhe’py aticitraṃ te | vijayaty etat tava durghaṭanāghaṭanāśaktir mahatı ̄sattā || 77 || svaṃ rūpaṃ tad vitatam apı ̄śvari durghaṭaśaktyā parimitarūpam | ktvā darśanadśyavibhedān vividhān sarvān paribhāsayasi || 78 || evaṃ svı ̄yaṃ rūpam anekaṃ parimitarūpā paśyantı ̄ tvam | bandhakaṃ citparimśyāntaryatnād bhūyo bhāsi yathāvat || 79 || svātmādarśe pravitatalı ̄lāṃ bhāvayası ̄tthaṃ svātantryāt tvam | dṣt ̣vā kalpitam etat svı ̄yaṃ nandasy aniśaṃ devi namaste || 80 ||. The same ideas are also expressed in Ibidem, 55, 59c–61: This Goddess, Superior to the Supreme, whose own form is nothing but Being and Consciousness, [59cd] existed alone before everything, by her own free will, [when] there was nothing, neither being nor non-being, neither the one nor the manifold; [60] uniquely by the might of her own nature does she manifest the wonderful manifoldness of this world in the mirror of her own self, on account of her divine play. [61]

The Reformulation of the Svātantryavāda  129 iyaṃ parātparā devı ̄ saccinmātrasvarūpiṇı ̄ || 59cd || ekāsı ̄t sarvapurataḥ svātantryātmavidhāyinı ̄ | na san nāsad abhinnaṃ vā vibhinnaṃ kim api hy abhūt || 60 || sā svasvabhāvavibhavabhareṇaivāvabhāsayat | etajjagaccakracitraṃ svātmany ādarśalı ̄layā || 61 ||. 551 YH, 1, 56–57ac: cidātmabhittau vis ́vasya prakāsá m ̄ arśane yadā | karoti svecchayā pūrṇavicikı ̄rṣas̄ amanvitā || 56 || kriyās ́aktis tu viśvasya modanād drāvaṇat̄ tathā | mudrākhyā | 57ac [Eng. trans. in Padoux with Jeanty (ed.) 2013: 45–46]. 552 See Padoux (ed.) 1994: 154–155. 553 TR, mk, 30, 20: s ́ivādikṣitiprāntatattvāvalir yā vicitrā yadı ̄ye sá rı ̄re vibhāti | paṭe citrakalpā jale sendutārānabhovat parā sā tvam evāsi sarvā || 20 ||. 554 TR, mk, 59, 93ab: saivāsty atra jagaccitrabhittidarpaṇasaṃ mitā | 93ab. 555 TR, jk, 1, 1: o namaḥ kāraṇan̄ andarūpiṇı ̄ paracinmayı ̄ | virājate jagaccitracitra­ darpaṇarūpiṇı ̄ || 1 ||. Similar expressions are found throughout the text of the jk. To quote just two instances of the occurrence of this metaphor, the text states that the supreme Consciousness (citi), the Goddess Tripurā, out of her freedom, makes the image of the universe appear within herself, as in a mirror [see TR, jk, 19, 51: parā sā yā citir devı ̄ svasvātantryasya vaibhavāt | svātmany eva jagaccitraṃ darpaṇapratibimbavat || 51 ||. See Fr. trans. in Hulin (ed.) 1979: 179]. Moreover, within a speech addressed to a meditating sādhaka, it is said that his own nature is the pure, unsurpassed Consciousness (saṃ vid), it is the surface of the great mirror where the whole multifarious worldly existence is reflected [see TR, jk, 10, 28c–29b: tatpadaṃ nijarūpaṃ te śuddhasaṃ vidanuttaram || 28cd || tadevākhilasaṃ sāracitrādarśatalaṃ mahat | 29ab. See Fr. trans. in Hulin (ed.) 1979: 95]. Most of the passages of the jk discussed in this chapter will be summarized and quoted in Sanskrit in the footnotes, where the corresponding pages of the French translation by Hulin will also be indicated. For an annotated translation of the whole jk, the reader may refer to the excellent work by Hulin. 556 Torella (ed.) 2013: XXVII. 557 Ibidem. 558 See Ibidem: XXXVI. 559 See TR, jk, 14, 37cd: atas tu bhāsakasyāntarbhāsyam astı ̄ti yujyate || 37cd ||. See Fr. trans. in Hulin (ed.) 1979: 126. 560 See TR, jk, 14, 42–44b: antar bahir vā yat kiñcid bhārūpodarasaṃ sthitam | atas tan nāpādānaṃ syāt śṅgasyeva hi parvataḥ || 42 || evaṃ vidhaṃ hi bhārūpaṃ grastasarvaprapañcakam | bhāti svatantrataḥ svasmin sarvatrāpi ca sarvadā || 43 || etat parā citiḥ proktā tripurā parameśvarı ̄ | 44ab. See Fr. trans. in Hulin (ed.) 1979: 126. 561 “Dedans’ absolu” [Hulin (ed.) 1979: 126]. ̄ 562 IPK, I, 8, 7: cinmayatve’vabhāsānām antar eva sthitiḥ sadā | māyayā bhāsamānānāṃ bāhyatvād bahir apy asau || 7 || [Torella (ed.) 2013: 39, Eng. trans. in Ibidem: 149]. 563 See TR, jk, 11, 83c–85: darpaṇe bhāsamānasya dūrāder dūratā yathā || 83cd || tathaivāsya svabhāvo’pi vicāre na sthiro bhavet | ata āsŕ ayarūpeṇa vinā nāsti hi kiñcana || 84 || yad astı ̄ti bhāti tat tu citir eva maheśvarı ̄| evaṃ jagaccidekātmarūpaṃ te samyag ı ̄ritam || 85 ||. See Fr. trans. in Hulin (ed.) 1979: 105. 564 See TR, jk, 14, 88c–90b: tasmād bhāvanamātrātmarūpam etaj jagat bahiḥ || 88cd || cidātmarūpe’vyakte vai bhāsate manujādhipa | tasmād bāhyātmakāvyaktabhittāu citramayaṃ jagat || 89 || avyaktabhittimātraṃ syāt sā svabhitticidātmikā | 90ab. See Fr. trans. in Hulin (ed.) 1979: 130. 565 In the third chapter of his TĀ , dealing with the śāmbhavopāya (“the way of the Lord”), Abhinavagupta provides a detailed exposition of the abhāsavāda (particularly in verses 1–66 and 268ff). 566 These ideas are elaborated in TĀ , III, 49–61 and in the related commentary by Jayaratha. See Skt. text in M. K. Shāstri (ed.) 1921, vol. II: 59–69 and Fr. trans. in Silburn, Padoux (eds.) 1998: 148–150.

130  Philosophical and Theological Teachings 567 See TR, jk, 7, 90c–92b: ataś cetana eveśas taddehaḥ syāc citiḥ parā || 90cd || citir eva mahāsattā samrājñı ̄ parames ́varı ̄ | tripurā bhāsate yasyām avibhinnavibhinnavat || 91 || ādarśanagaraprakhyaṃ jagad etac carācaram | 92ab. See Fr. trans. in Hulin (ed.) 1979: 80. 568 See TR, jk, 18, 63c–65b: naivaṃ citir abhāne kiṃ kadā kutra vibhāsate || 63cd || yathādarśaṃ vinā kiñcit pratibimbaṃ na bhāti vai | ādarśan̄ nātirikto’taḥ pratibimbo bhaved yathā || 64 || evaṃ citimte kiñcid atiriktaṃ na vidyate | 65ab. See Fr. trans. in Hulin (ed.) 1979: 164–165. 569 TĀ , III, 3–4: ato’sau parameśānaḥ svātmavyomany anargalaḥ | iyataḥ sṣtị saṃ hārāḍambarasya pradarśakaḥ || 3 || nirmale makure yadvad bhānti bhūmijalādayaḥ | amiśrās tadvad ekasmiṃ s ́ cinnāthe viśvavttayaḥ || 4 || [M. K. Shāstri (ed.) 1921, vol. II: 3–4]. See also Fr. trans. by Padoux in Silburn, Padoux (eds.) 1998: 141. 570 See Jayaratha’s commentary in M. K. Shāstri (ed.) 1921: pp. 3–4, and Fr. trans. by Padoux in Silburn, Padoux (eds.) 1998: 141. 571 See TR, jk, 18, 59c–60b: citir ekaiva vaicitryād bhāsata iti sambhavet || 59cd || ekarūpo yathādarśaḥ pratibimbād anekadhā | 60ab. See Fr. trans. in Hulin (ed.) 1979: 164. 572 See TR, jk, 14, 48c–50b: darpaṇat̄ mani sampūrṇe nibiḍe caikarūpiṇi || 48cd || yathā hi bhinnaṃ nagaraṃ sarvathā nopapadyate | tathā pūrṇe sunibiḍe caikarūpe cidātmani || 49 || jagat sarvātmanā naiva hy upapattiṃ samas ́nute | 50ab. See Fr. trans. in Hulin (ed.) 1979: 127. 573 See TR, jk, 14, 50c–53: ākās ́ās tv avakāsá t̄ mā śūnyarūpatvahetutaḥ || 50cd || dvaitaṃ jagat prasahate sarvatraiva hi sarvadā | satı ̄ citir aśūnyātmarūpiny ekarasā katham || 51 || dvitı ̄yaleśaṃ prasahed ādars ́ātmavad añjasā | tasmād ādarśavat saṃ vid svātantryabharavaibhavāt || 52 || bhāsayed advitı ̄ye sve rūpe sarvaṃ carācaram | nimittopādānahı ̄naṃ dvitı ̄yam aticitritam || 53 ||. See Fr. trans. in Hulin (ed.) 1979: 127. 574 See TR, jk, 18, 71c–77b: śṇu bhārgava cittattvaṃ paripūrṇam api svayaṃ || 71cd || nākās ́atulyaṃ caitanyāt svaprakās ́amataḥ sthitam | ākās ́aś ca cidātmā ca na vilakṣanatāṃ gatau || 72 || pūrṇaḥ sūkṣmo nirmalas ́ cājo’nanto’pi nirāktiḥ | sarvādhāro’py asaṅgātmā sarvāntarabahirbhāvaḥ || 73 || visé ṣas tatra caitanyam ākās ́e tan na vidyate | vastutaś caitanyapūrṇa ātmaivākās ́a ucyate || 74 || nahy ātmākāsá yor bhedo les ́ato’pi hi vidyate | ya ākās ́aḥ sa ātmāiva yas ́ cātmākās ́a eva saḥ || 75 || ajñāḥ paśyanty ātmarūpam ākās ́am iti vai bhramāt | saurālokam yatholūkas tamomātraṃ prapas ́yati || 76 || ākās ́am eva vijñās tu pasý anty ātmacidātmakam | 77ab. See Fr. trans. in Hulin (ed.) 1979: 165. 575 For this explanation, see also Pelissero’s annotation on his It. trans. of this passage [Pelissero (ed.) 1995: 156, note 217]. 576 See Hanneder 2006: 179. 577 See Ibidem: note 74. 578 Ibidem: 179. 579 Ibidem: 180. 580 Ibidem. 581 See Ibidem: 188–189. 582 Ibidem: 192. For the discussion on the concept of Consciousness as substance, see Ibidem: 188–192. 583 Ibidem: 192. ̄ 584 IPK, II, 4, 19, vtti: jaḍasyābhinnātmano bhedena avasthiter virodhād ayuktam, svacche cidātmany ekasminn evam anekapratibimba dhāraṇenāvirodhād yujyate || 19 || [Torella (ed.) 2013: 60, Eng. trans. in Ibidem: 186]. 585 See TR, jk, 11, 49–51: astitā hi padārthānāṃ prakās ́o nāparaḥ khalu | prakāsá s tu citiḥ proktā nāciteḥ syāt prakās ́atā || 49 || prakās ́as tu sumukhyaḥ syād yaḥ svatantraḥ prakās ́ate | jaḍa ̄ na svaprakāsá ̄ hi citiyogaprakās ́anāt || 50 || anyānapekṣaṇenaiva citiḥ svasmin prakās ́ate | jaḍas̄ ́ citiṃ samās ́ritya prakāsá nte na cānyathā || 51 ||. See

The Reformulation of the Svātantryavāda  131 Fr. trans. in Hulin (ed.) 1979: 103. The same idea is briefly expressed also in TR, jk, 4, 100cd: yataḥ sarvaṃ citim anubhāti sā tu svatantrataḥ, where it is stated that whereas everything shines after Consciousness, Consciousness shines out of her own freedom. 586 See TR, jk, 11, 53c–54b: yathā hi pratibimbānāṃ sattvaṃ darpaṇa eva hi || 53cd || tathā citir jagatsattā tataḥ sarvaṃ citir bhavet | 54ab. See Fr. trans. in Hulin (ed.) 1979: 103. 587 See TR, jk, 11, 56c–57: jaḍatvād darpaṇad̄ es tu svātantryaparivarjanāt || 56cd || bimbāpekṣa ̄ citeḥ svacchasvātantryād anapekṣatā | nirmalatvaṃ svataḥ siddhaṃ citer mālinyavarjanāt || 57 ||. See Fr. trans. in Hulin (ed.) 1979: 103. 588 See TR, jk, 11, 62: citir vicitrānyabhāvair uparaktāpi bhāsinı ̄ | svarūpād apracyutai­ vādarśavalleśato’pi hi || 62 ||. See Fr. trans. in Hulin (ed.) 1979: 104. 589 TĀ , III, 65: itthaṃ vis ́vam idaṃ nāthe bhairavı ̄yacidambare | pratibimbamalaṃ svacche na khalv anyaprasādataḥ || 65 || [M. K. Shāstri (ed.) 1921, vol. II: 73]. See also Fr. trans. by Padoux in Silburn, Padoux (eds.) 1998: 150. 590 See Ibidem, comm.: … na hi nirvimarśaḥ prakāsá ḥ sambhavaty upapadyate vā… [M. K. Shāstri (ed.) 1921: 73]. See also Fr. trans. by Padoux in Silburn, Padoux (eds.) 1998: 150. 591 See Ibidem, comm.: ‘antar vibhāti sakalaṃ jagad ātmanı ̄ha yadvad vicitraracanā makurāntarāle | bodhaḥ punar nijavimarśanasāravttyā viśvaṃ parāmsá ti no makuras tathā tu ||’ [M. K. Shāstri (ed.) 1921: 73]. See also Fr. trans. by Padoux in Silburn, Padoux (eds.) 1998: 150. Incidentally, it is notable that in his commentary on TR, jk, 11, 57, Śrı̄nivāsa – the commentator of the jk of the TR – quotes this extract verbatim from Jayaratha’s commentary on TĀ , III, 65. 592 It is notable that Jayaratha’s remark (made in the 13th century) had already been made by Yogarāja (in the second half of the 11th century) in his commentary on the following verse of Abhinavagupta’s Paramārthasāra (PS): As, in the orb of a mirror, objects such as cities or villages, themselves various though not different [from the mirror], appear both as different from each other and from the mirror itself, so appears this world [in the mirror of the Lord’s consciousness], differentiated both internally and vis-à-vis that consciousness, although it is not different from consciousness most pure, the supreme Bhairava. [PS, 12–13: darpaṇabimbe yadvan nagaragrāmādi citram avibhāgi | bhāti vibhaḡenaiva ca parasparaṃ darpanạ d̄ api ca || 12 || vimalatamaparamabhairavabodhāt tadvad vibhāgaśūnyam api | anyonyaṃ ca tato’pi ca vibhaktam ābhāti jagad etat || 13 || Bansat-Boudon (ed.) 2011: 364, Eng. trans. by Bansat-Boudon and Tripathi in Bansat-Boudon (ed.) 2011: 112]. In his commentary, Yogarāja shows the limits of this metaphor, underscoring the essential difference between the insentient mirror and the divine Consciousness, which knows, by means of the power of vimarśa, the world created within herself by her own free will. [See Bansat-Boudon (ed.) 2011: 112–117 and 364–365]. 593 In Chapter 6 of her work Le Soi et l’Autre (see Ratié 2011: 367ff), Ratié discusses in detail how Utpaladeva and Abhinavagupta – in confuting both the idealism of the Buddhist vijñānavādins and the externalism of the Buddhist sautrāntikas – preferred the analogy of the creations by the yogin in order to illustrate their thesis that the sole cause of the manifoldness of the phenomenal world is the sovereignty (aiśvarya) and freedom (svātantrya) of the divine Consciousness, which manifests manifold and diverse objects, while remaining one and the same. ̄ 594 IPK, I.5.7: cidātmaiva hi devo’ntaḥsthitam icchāvaśad̄ bahiḥ | yogı ̄va nirupādānam arthajātaṃ prakās ́ayet || 7 || [Torella (ed.) 2013: 21, Eng. trans. in Ibidem: 116]. 595 For the translation of Abhinavagupta’s vimarśinı ̄ and the related discussion, see Ratié 2011: 404ff and 418.

132  Philosophical and Theological Teachings 596 See Ibidem: 421–422. 597 See Ibidem: 418. 598 “L’exemple a pour function d’ancrer le raisonnement dans l’expérience … on l’invoque pour montrer que le raisonnement ne s’effectue pas sans tenir compte de l’expérience.” (Ibidem: 419). 599 See TR, jk, 22, 107d: sūpapattyupalabdhika. 600 This story is contained in Chapters 12–14 of the jk of the TR. 601 See TR, jk, 12, 10ab: yo yathā bhāvayed etaj jagat tasya tathā bhavet | 10ab. See Fr. trans. in Hulin (ed.) 1979: 108. 602 See TR, jk, 14, 96c–97a: evaṃ jagat satyabhāvabhāvanāmātrahetutaḥ || 96cd || bhāti satyātmarūpeṇa | 97a. See Fr. trans. in Hulin (ed.) 1979: 131. 603 See TR, jk, 11, 67–69: evaṃ citer viśuddhaikarūpāyāḥ sṣtị taḥ purā | bhat svātantryam abhavat saṅkalpātmakam eva tat || 67 || tata etat samābhātaṃ pratibimbātmakaṃ jagat | bhatsaṅkalpasusthairyāc ciram etad vibhāsate || 68 || sādhāraṇaṃ jagad bhāti pūrṇasvātantryahetutaḥ | anyeṣam ̄ ̣ tadapūrṇatvād bhāty asādhāraṇat̄ manā || 69 ||. See Fr. trans. in Hulin (ed.) 1979: 104. ̄ 604 See IPK, IV, 9–10 and the related vtti in Torella (ed.) 2013: 77, Eng. trans. in Ibidem: 214–215; see also the relevant note 20, p. 215. It is notable that in both ̄ and TR the term used to indicate an essential quality of the world created IPK by the godhead is sādhāraṇa (“common to all”). 605 See TR, jk, 13, 88c–91b: asmād etad viddhi jagat bhāvanāmātrasārakam || 88cd || abhāvyamānaṃ caitat tu lı ̄yeta kṣaṇamātrataḥ | tasmāc chokaṃ jahi npāvetya svāpnasamaṃ jagat || 89 || svāpnacitrabhittibhūtaṃ svātmānaṃ saṃ vidātmakam | darpaṇapratimaṃ matvā saṃ sthito’si yathā tathā || 90 || jāgraccitradarpaṇaṃ cāvehyātmānaṃ cidātmakam | 91ab. See Fr. trans. in Hulin (ed.) 1979: 121. 606 Shakespeare, The Tempest, Act IV, scene I. 607 TR, jk, 11, 73c–75: yoginas tu mitatvena sṣtị r bāhyā vibhāvitā || 73cd || amitatvāt sṣtị r iyaṃ cinnāthasyāntar eva hi | ata eva cidātmatvavyatirekād asatyatā || 74 || jagataḥ pratibimbasyādarśātmatvaṃ vinā yathā | ata eva vicāreṇas̄ atyatāṃ yāti nānyathā || 75 ||. 608 TR, jk, 11, 76–79b: satyaṃ svabhāvaṃ no muñced asatyaṃ taṃ parityajet | jagat paśya bhārgavaitat svabhāvād aticañcalam || 76 || satyāsatye vibhāgena bhāsete sarvato’khilam | pratibimbādarśabhānam iva tat pravicāraya || 77 || ādarśo hy acalas tatra calaṃ hi pratibimbakam | tathā jagaccalaṃ saṃ vidacalaṃ sarvabhāvitam || 78 || ata eva hi bhāvānāṃ vicārāsaharūpatā | 79ab. 609 For a detailed discussion of the use and limits of the analogies of dream, imagination and memory in Utpaladeva and Abhinavagupta, in which the critics and objections of the Nyāya and of the Mı̄māṃ sā are also considered, see Ratié 2011: 424–438. 610 TR, jk, 13, 89d: svāpnasamaṃ jagat. 611 Ā treya 1936: 65–66. 612 Hanneder 2009: 66. 613 YV, 3, 109, 25: manovilāsaḥ saṃ sāra iti yasyāṃ pratı ̄yate | sarvasá kter anantasya vilāso hi manojagat || 25 || [Paṇsı́ k̄ ar (ed.) 1937, Part I: 383]. 614 YV, 3, 101, 35: dyauḥ kṣamā vāyur ākās ́aṃ parvatāḥ sarito diśaḥ | saṃ kalpakacitaṃ sarvam evaṃ svapnavadātmanaḥ || 35 || [Paṇsı́ k̄ ar (ed.) 1937, Part I: 369]. 615 See TR, jk, 13, 88c–91b, quoted above. 616 See TR, jk, 11, 73c–75, quoted above. 617 Ā treya 1936: 70. 618 See TR, jk, 11, 76–79b, quoted above. 619 See Hanneder 2006: 159ff. 620 YV, 4, 11, 9: nānākāravikārāḍhyā satyevāsatyarūpiṇı ̄ | vibhramaṃ janayaty eṣa ̄ dhı ̄rasyāpi jagatsthitiḥ || 9 || [Paṇsı́ k̄ ar (ed.) 1937, Part I: 433]. 621 YV, 4, 11, 23: mano manananirmāṇamātram etaj jagattrayam | na sannāsad iva sphāram uditaṃ netaran mune || 23 || [Paṇsı́ k̄ ar (ed.) 1937, Part I: 434].

The Reformulation of the Svātantryavāda  133 622 MU, 6, 337, 56: ajātam aniruddhaṃ ca sanmātraṃ brahma khātmakam | s ́āntaṃ sadasator madhyaṃ cidbhāmātram idaṃ jagat || 56 || (cit. in Hanneder 2006: 167, Eng. trans. by Hanneder in Ibidem: 168). 623 See Hanneder 2006: 166–169. 624 In this regard, see Hanneder’s remarks in Hanneder 2006: 28, 158, and in Hanneder 2009: 69. 625 MU, 3, 28, 12–13: cidākāsá m ajaṃ s ́āntaṃ sarvatraiva hi sarvadā | cittvāj jagad ivābhāti svayam evātmanātmani || 12 || yena buddhaṃ tu tasyaitad ākāsá d̄ api s ́ūnyakam | na buddhaṃ yena tasyaitad vajrasārācalopamam || 13 || (cit. in Hanneder 2006: 186, Eng trans. by Hanneder in Ibidem). 626 See TR, jk, 18, 151ab: tato na bādhitaṃ satyam asatyaṃ bādhitam bhavet | 151ab. 627 See Ibidem, 148–149b: rāma bhāyād eva citis tasmāt satyaiva sā citiḥ | rāma satyāsatyabhedaṃ s́ ṇu saṁkṣepato bruve || 148 || anyānapekṣabhāsaṃ syāt satyam anyad asatyakam || 149ab ||. 628 TR, jk, 22, 98: eva viditatattvasya jagad etāvad ı ̄dśam | bhāsamānam api svātmamātram eva na cetarat || 98 ||. 629 Ibidem, 100–103: jagan nāsty eveti dṣtị r apūrṇaiva bhgūdvaha | nāstı ̄ti viparı ̄to hi nisć ayo naiva siddhyati || 100 || sādhakātmajagaddṣtẹ r bhūyaḥ sambhavataḥ sphuṭam | nāstı ̄ti s ́āpamātreṇa kathaṃ syāj jagato layaḥ || 101 || ādarśanagaraṃ sarvam asty ādarśasvabhāvataḥ | evaṃ jagaccidātmaikarūpaṃ satyam udı ̄ritam || 102 || pūrṇavijñānam etat syāt saṅkoca*parivajanāt (em. parivarjanāt) | dg eva dśyatāṃ prāptaṃ svamāhātmyaprakarṣataḥ || 103 ||. 630 TĀ , III, 44: tena saṃ vittimakure viśvam ātmānam arpayat | nāthasya vadate’muṣya vimalāṃ viśvarūpatām || 44 || [M. K. Shāstri (ed.) 1921, vol. II: 53]. See also Fr. trans. by Padoux in Silburn, Padoux (eds.) 1998: 147. 631 Ibidem, comm.: nikhilam idaṃ jagat saṃ vittyātmanaḥ parameśvarasyaivaikasya rūpam [M. K. Shāstri (ed.) 1921: 54]. See also Fr. trans. by Padoux in Silburn, Padoux (eds.) 1998: 147. 632 TĀ , III, 46: tathā viśvam idaṃ bodhe pratibimbitam āsŕ ayet | prakāsá tvasvatantratva­ prabhtiṃ dharmavistaram || 46 || [M. K. Shāstri (ed.) 1921, vol. II: 55]. See also Fr. trans. by Padoux in Silburn, Padoux (eds.) 1998: 147. 633 Ibidem, comm.: ata eva ca sarvam evedaṃ vedyajātaṃ prakāsá t̄ manaḥ parameśvarasya s ́ārı ̄rabhūtam [M. K. Shāstri (ed.) 1921: 56]. See also Fr. trans. by Padoux in Silburn, Padoux (eds.) 1998: 148. 634 TĀ , III, 280: matta evoditam idaṃ mayyeva pratibimbitam | madabhinnam idaṃ ceti || 280ac || [M. K. Shāstri (ed.) 1921, vol. II: 253]. See also Fr. trans. by Padoux in Silburn, Padoux (eds.) 1998: 203.

3 The Goddess as Word-Energy

The exposition of the ābhāsavāda in the third chapter of Abhinavagupta’s TĀ may be said to constitute the framework of the theory of the phonematic emanation of the universe, that is treated in the central part of this chapter of the TĀ (vv. 67–267). According to the cosmogony of the Word described therein, the universe is deemed to be the manifestation of the divine Energy identified with the Word (vāc): the various entities (tattva) of the world make their appearance as a result of a series of acts of the divine Energy/ Word, and these acts correspond to the succession of the phonemes of the Sanskrit alphabet, as well as to the unfolding of the progressive levels of the Word. Besides its treatment in the TĀ , the theory of the levels of the Word was elaborated in the Tantric texts on the basis of earlier speculations of philosophers and grammarians, beginning with Bhartṛhari. The theory was founded on the idea that the universe emanates from a primeval Word, which is the sonorous form of the divine Energy. This Word-Energy is fourfold, insofar as it unfolds through four stages, or levels, beginning with that of the Supreme Word (parā vāc), which is omnipresent and underlies the successive stages. Parā is identical to the divine Consciousness, i.e. the highest Reality; she is the primeval Word, undifferentiated, matrix of all, subsuming the three successive levels of manifestation of the Word, hence including all phonemes, words, actions and objects forming the universe. The second stage is that of the Visionary Word (paśyantı )̄ , so-called because she is related to the emergence in the divine Consciousness of a desire to see, which portends the appearance of the universe; she corresponds to the primordial sound (nāda), perceptible only to the yogins. The third stage is that of the Intermediate Word (madhyamā), so-called because of her intermediate position between undifferentiation and differentiation. At a cosmic level, it is in this stage that the objectivity of the world emerges more clearly in the divine Consciousness; at a human level, this stage corresponds to the division of the Word into phonemes and words, and to the appearance of language, hence to the development of discursive thought pertaining to the intellect. The fourth stage is that of the Corporeal Word (vaikharı )̄ , corresponding to articulate, empirical language. From the cosmic and human standpoint, this is the lowest level of manifestation DOI: 10.4324/9780429297380-10

The Goddess as Word-Energy  135 of the Energy of the Word, and includes the emergence of the world of beings, subject to time and illusion.635

The Levels of the Word This theory, which is an integral part of the doctrine of the ābhāsa in Abhinavagupta, is also traceable in the TR, in a hymn in praise of Tripurā joined with Gāyatrı̄: the Hymn in Praise of the Mother-Energy of the Phonemes, whose title, Mātṛkāstuti, immediately calls attention to the polysemy of the term mātṛkā. In fact, the singular form of this word may signify both “mother” and “matrix [of the phonemes]”, and in the plural it indicates “the phonemes” themselves. As Padoux remarks: this term stresses more than varṇa the nature of energy, of generative power, both fearsome and benevolent, the aspect of divinized energy, of phonemes. … Mātṛkā is indeed, in some cases, specifically used to indicate the mother-energy of the phonemes by contrast to phonemes themselves.636 ́ ́ ́ ́ In his commentary [Sivasū travimarśinı ̄ (SSV)] on Sivasū tra (SS), I, 4, Kṣemarāja writes: “The mother unknown [to those who are fettered by the triple impurity] is mātṛkā, the begetter of the universe, who assumes the form of the phonemes from a to kṣa.”637 Padoux explains: Mother of the universe issued from sound or from the Word, the mātṛkā binds those beings who are engulfed and fettered by the flood of saṃ sāra. As the mother-energy of the phonemes making up the words of language, she enslaves those who, for want of the necessary knowledge, are bound by the net of words or blinded by the false glamour of words. To know her is to return to the source of Speech and of the universe; it is the liberation of the human being and the cosmic reabsorption.638 The Mātṛkāstuti 639 of the TR begins as follows: “Triumph, triumph o Goddess, o [you] who have the form of the supreme and non-supreme [state]!”640 This invocation is in fact appropriate, because the supreme and non-supreme state, with which the Goddess is identified, is that of paśyantı̄, which prefigures the emanation of the phonemes that will appear in madhyamā; hence it is the state of the mātṛkā, the mother-energy of the phonemes.641 The hymn continues: O [you] who in the form of Supreme Word (parā), infinite, appear in the mūlādhāracakra (at the bottom of the spine), [you who] are liberation; o [you] who take on the desired state thanks to your free will, o [you] who as the Visionary Word (paśyantı )̄ dwell in the maṇipuracakra (in the region of the navel) [12bc] … Furthermore, you are transforming

136  Philosophical and Theological Teachings yourself into intermediate states, different from the self which is made of knowledge. O [you] who in the form of Intermediate Word (madhyamā) dwell in the anāhatacakra (in the region of the heart), [you] having a mixed form, [you] made of intellect; o [you] who in the manifest state (vaikharı )̄ , as eightfold energy are various and have multiple seats. [13ac]642 In conformity with the system of correspondences connecting the divine, cosmic and human spheres, the divine Energy of the Word, personified as the Goddess and animating the universe, is present also in the human body as the kuṇḍalinı ̄ (“the coiled one”). In Tantric yoga and in Haṭhayoga, the kuṇḍalinı ̄, envisaged as a serpent lying asleep at the bottom of the spine, can be awakened by means of specific yogic practices and made to ascend along the channel of the suṣumnā through a series of centres (cakras) located within the subtle structure of the human body. Because of the identification of the kuṇḍalinı ̄ with the Word-Energy, the ascent of the kuṇḍalinı ̄ is deemed to reproduce and actualize in the microcosm of the human body the phonematic emanation which, at the macrocosmic level, corresponds to the manifestation of the universe. Moreover, by means of the unfolding of the Word-Energy/kuṇdạ linı̄, the human being acquires the faculty of language, which evolves through the four levels of the Word. These levels of the Word, which underlie human language, are present in the human body, where they have their respective seats, their abodes, in the diverse cakras traversed by the kuṇdạ linı̄ in her ascending movement. This is what is implied in the verses quoted above.643 By “eightfold energy” the text probably refers to the eight groups of phonemes (varga) forming the Sanskrit alphabet, namely: the vowels, the five classes of consonants, the semi-vowels and the spirants, including kṣa. Each of these eight groups of phonemes is presided over by one of the eight Mother Goddesses (aṣtạ mātṛkā, or aṣtạ mātaraḥ).644 These eight energies/phonemes appear clearly in the manifest state, on the level of the Corporeal Word (vaikharı̄), because this corresponds to the differentiated word of articulate, discursive language. Having touched on the identification of the Goddess with the WordEnergy in her successive levels, the text then introduces the idea of her oneness-and-manifoldness: Transforming [your] body, which is pure, non-dual Consciousness, into [an embodiment of the] state of duality, [you have become] tenfold, although the [divine] couple [of which you were originally part] had [already] been separated by the arrow-like rays [emanated] from the [radiant] face of the Unsurpassed one. [You are] the first one, yet, due to [your] mutual union, [you have become] the fourfoldness. [14ac]645 This stanza describes the first appearance of duality within the divine Consciousness by an allusion to the image of the ardhanarı̄sv́ ara (“the Lord who is half female”), which embodies the union of the masculine and feminine

The Goddess as Word-Energy  137 aspects of the godhead. The disjunction of the Goddess from her masculine counterpart is suggested by the metaphor of the god who separates the Goddess from himself by casting upon her the darts of his blazing glances. This first scission of the original divine oneness prefigures further differentiations. Whereas by fourfoldness – the being fourfold of the Word-Energy/ Goddess – is most probably meant the four levels of the Word, the reference to her being tenfold remains unfortunately obscure. The interpretation of the next stanza is more problematic: Finally, also as a result of the division into duality and non-duality, [you] take the form of the sixteen vowels. [Moreover, you are] the original group of five that is fivefold. Due to the union of opposites [which is in you, you are] threefold. Furthermore, [you are] fourfold, devoid of a middle part, creating two pairs [of yourself]. [15ac]646 The text mentions further differentiations of the Word-Energy/Goddess. It is clear that the compound nṛpasaṃ khyasvararūpā refers to the sixteen vowels, since nṛpa generally stands for the number sixteen. The locution pañcavidhaṃ tatpañcakam ādyaṃ (“the original group of five that is fivefold”) may indicate the twenty-five consonants, but here a syntactical problem arises because the accusative case lacks the requisite verb to govern it. The compound vedavidhā – which usually stands for the four Vedas – should here be understood to refer to the three Vedas, because of the caturvidhā which succeeds it, and which may allude, once again, to the four levels of the Word. This stanza may thus be considered as a sampling of some of the main divisions of the Word: in the first place, the sixteen vowels and the twenty-five consonants which stand for the Sanskrit alphabet (though incomplete, since semi-vowels, sibilants and ha are missing); then the three Vedas; finally, the four levels of the Word, which are deemed to subsume and include the Sanskrit language and its scriptures. The hymn concludes as follows: Thus, you, the Mother, queen of knowledge, richly endowed with various delightful ornaments, you, made of Word, manifest the whole [universe] divided into parts because of its divisions. If [it was] not divided by means of your limitative power (kalā), this whole [universe] would be like the [undifferentiated] sky. [16ac]647; and finally: “After having pervaded the reality thus shaped, by withdrawing your limitative power (kalā), you always shine manifest. [17c]”648 The idea conveyed by these verses is that it is the Goddess alone who, in the continuous flashing vibration of her energy, emanates and dissolves the worlds within herself. By means of her fragmenting and obscuring energy (kalā), she causes the appearance of the world of finite, limited beings; when this power of manifesting the universe is withdrawn, reabsorbed into herself, she alone shines, all-pervading.

138  Philosophical and Theological Teachings The refrain of the hymn is as follows: “Triumph, triumph o [you] whose body is playfully manifested thanks to [your] knowledge! Triumph, triumph o Śaṅkarı̄, protect us!”649 In the compound vidyāvilasitadehe, the word vilasita is worthy of note: deriving from the root vi-las, as a participle/ adjective it means both “flashing, appearing, shining forth” and “sounding forth”, while as a neuter noun it means both “manifestation” and “play”. The polysemy of this word is appropriate for expressing the concept that the Goddess is the embodiment of the Sound/Word-Energy, whose sounding forth results in the phonematic emanation of the universe, which is at the same time a luminous appearing of all things, and this manifestation of the world is a mere divine play.

The Sonorous Body of the Goddess In conformity with the narrative character of the mk, those concepts pertaining to speculation about the Word are not elaborated, but only hinted at in this hymn, which is itself placed within a narrative context: after explaining to the gods that Gāyatrı̄ was born from herself in the form of her speech, Tripurā enters Gāyatrı̄, who then appears to the gods adorned with Tripurā’s attributes.650 The Mātṛkāstuti is the eulogy dedicated by the gods to Tripurā joined with Gāyatrı̄, who is depicted as “resplendent with the limbs of her body made of the seed-syllables,”651 “made of words”652 and “having the nature of the entire knowledge about the phonemes and their mother-energy.”653 This epiphany of the Goddess reads as follows: Gāyatrı̄, the Mother Tripurā, [47d] [who was] utter nectar, the Supreme one [who], in the beginning, having the nature of space, pervaded the whole [universe], where she was present with her body formed by the phonemes and their mother-energy. [48] The vowels [were] her face; her arms, feet and belly were formed by the five series of consonants; the upper part of her body [consisted of] the semi-vowels [and] the remaining [phonemes were] at the basis of her heart. [49] The Visionary Word, the Intermediate Word, and the Corporeal Word [were] her navel, heart, and face [respectively]; she was connected with the intellect in the Intermediate Word [and] associated with the heart in the Visionary Word. [50] The Corporeal Word [was] her speech, the phonemes her face, her heart consisted of the words, the sentences [were] her belly; her appearance [consisted of both] the subtle indistinct sound and the gross (i.e. audible) phonemes. [51] Her head was filled with all the Āgamas, her eyes were the light, [she was] the great Lady; the science of grammar [was] her face, the [Vedic] metres her voice, the science of proper articulation and pronunciation of the Vedic texts (śikṣa)̄ [was] her neck. [52] The prescribed rituals (kalpa) [were] her ears, the chant (sāman) [was] her heart, the verses (ṛc) and the sacrificial formulas (yajus) her beautiful breasts, the Atharva

The Goddess as Word-Energy  139 [Veda] her belly, the region of her ribs consisted of Sāṃ khya and Yoga, [she was] the learned one. [53] The rites and the Āgamas [were] her hands, logic [was] her buttock, [she was] Superior to the Supreme; the auxiliary parts of the Veda (upaveda) [were] her back, the Purāṇas her brilliant glances. [54] The poems and the ornaments (i.e. rhetoric) [were] her smile, knowledge of the Self [was in] her centre;654 [she was] glorious with her fingernails and hair [made of] the traditional doctrines, beginning with those of the Buddhists and the Jains. [55]655 The description of this epiphany of the Goddess diverges from any of the other descriptions or eulogies of Tripurā occurring in the mk. The eulogies pronounced either by the gods or by Dattātreya,656 deal with the nature of the Goddess, with her metaphysical attributes, and provide no details about her outward, physical features. On the other hand, at various points of the narration of the mk, there are description of Tripurā’s corporeal form, as she shows herself to the gods.657 The peculiarity of this description of Tripurā/Gāyatrı̄ lies in the fact that, in dealing with the identification of the Goddess with the Word-Energy, hence with one of her essential metaphysical attributes, the text represents her in a corporeal form, whereby the various limbs of her body correspond to different elements of Speech. This is the sole epiphany of Tripurā, in the mk, in which the metaphysical and the physical overlap; the translation of phonic entities into visual, corporeal features brings about a transfiguration of the parts of the divine body into the sonorous bricks out of which the universe is made, according to the phonematic emanation theory. By analysing and disassembling the passage in question it is possible to recognize an attempt at systemization. In fact, the phonic entities corresponding to the body parts of the Goddess seem to be arranged in a sequence of increasingly concrete elements: first, the progressive levels of the Word, followed by the phonemes of the Sanskrit alphabet; then, the elements of speech, such as words and sentences, as well as grammar, the science which regulates their mutual relations; next, the metres, verses, formulas and chants of the Veda, along with their related science (śikṣa)̄ ; thereafter, the authoritative scriptures of the Ā gamic tradition, the Purāṇa s, the philosophical systems and the heterodox doctrines. A similar systemizing approach may be assumed to be at work in the correspondences established by the text. Some associations seem to obey a certain logic. Accordingly, the head, which is the most important part ̄ of her body, is the seat of the Agamas, the authoritative scriptures of the Tantric traditions; the face is associated with vaikharı ̄, the articulate language which enables communication among human beings, and is also conveyed through facial expression; the smile of the Goddess discloses the language of poetry; her voice harmonizes with the Vedic metres; her ears are the means of oral transmission of ritual practices; her neck/throat is connected with the correct articulation of the sacred texts; her heart and her navel are the seats of madhyamā and paśyantı ̄, in accordance with the

140  Philosophical and Theological Teachings subtle physiology of Tantric yoga; to her fingernails and hair are relegated the heterodox doctrines. Another notable detail of this portrayal of Tripurā/Gāyatrı̄ is the allusion to the conception of the manifestation of Sound. This conception – on which the theories of the four levels of the Word and of the phonematic emanation of the universe provide different perspectives – constitutes the common background of the Tantric texts which envisage the emanation of the universe by the divine Consciousness as a progressive condensation of the Sound/Word-Energy, acting on both the cosmic and the human level.658 In the TR passage, the initial statement that in the beginning the Goddess, whose body was made by the phonemes and their MotherEnergy, had the nature of space and thus pervaded the whole universe (v. 48), conveys the idea that the Goddess is both the embodiment of the Word-Energy and the medium through which Sound can extend. Moreover, the assertion that she consists of both the subtle indistinct sound and the gross, audible phonemes (v. 51cd) may be interpreted as a reference to the initial and final stages of the manifestation of Sound. Accordingly, the subtle indistinct sound stands for the nāda,659 i.e. the primordial resonance, the imperceptible sound vibration which brings about the progressive condensation of the Sound-Energy into the bindu and its divisions; the gross, audible phonemes stand for the varṇa s,660 i.e. the letters which compose human language and which arise in the final stage of this process. By mentioning the beginning and end of the Soundmanifestation, the entire process is implied. Before concluding the discussion of this passage, it should be noted that this depiction of Tripurā/Gāyatrı̄ not only differs from the descriptions of Tripurā found in the mk of the TR, but is also unusual in terms of the related literature. To my knowledge, the only other instances of similar images of the body of the Goddess occur in the AS661 and in the LT, both Pāñcarātra works clearly influenced by the doctrines of the Trika. In the AS, the mantras related to the Goddess are said to be “the garland of phonemes in their aspect of mother-energy”, and she, the “essential nature of Viṣṇu’s energy as the mother-energy of the phonemes,”662 is described as follows: The great Goddess, Vaiṣṇavı̄, the matrix of mantras, endowed with the six qualities, with the outward appearance of the phonemes, the learned [one, is] to be meditated: with her body made of the primordial phonemes, adorned with ornaments [made of] the series of consonants, [42, 46d] resembling the calyx of a lotus, bearing the conch-shell and the lotus, and having a body made of the praṇava, of energy (śakti) and light (śrı ̄), [43] with her mouth full of the vowels, her hands made of ka and ca, her feet made of ṭa and ta, her womb made of the labials beginning with pa, splendid, [44] with the vapour of her breath made of ya and ra, the Goddess carrying the gift of la, with her delicate girdle made of va, bearing earrings made of s ́a and

The Goddess as Word-Energy  141 ṣa, [45] with her heart [made of] sa, her inner self [made of] ha and having the splendour of kṣa, garlanded with phonemes, [carrying] the noose and the goad with the tips of her fingers. [46ac]663 A comparison of this passage with that of the TR shows that in both cases the Goddess is represented in her corporeal form, while the limbs of her body are associated with elements of Speech. A peculiarity of the AS is that the śakti of Viṣṇu is said to be endowed with the ṣaḍguṇas, the six perfections which pertain to the supreme deity in the Pāñcarātra theology;664 moreover, unlike Tripurā/Gāyatrı̄, Vaiṣṇavı̄ is depicted with her attributes, conch-shell, lotus, noose, and goad. While the lotus is a typical attribute of Lakṣmı̄ and the conch-shell is appropriate for the consort of Viṣṇu, the noose and the goad are instead typical attributes of Tripurā, whose affinity with Lakṣmı̄ is in fact asserted in the TR.665 As for the correspondences between limbs of the Goddess’s body and phonic entities, the AS limits the latter to the phonemes of the Sanskrit alphabet, whereas the TR includes, besides the phonemes, the levels of the Word, various elements of Speech and even some sacred and authoritative scriptures. This major difference between the two texts can be explained by the different contexts in which these depictions of the Goddess occur and by their respective purposes. In the AS this representation of Viṣṇu’s śakti has a meditative-ritual purpose, probably connected with the nyāsa; in fact, this description is given in the frame of the instructions about mantras, whose extraction (uddhāra) – i.e. the ritual procedure by which the letters forming a mantra are extracted from the set of phonemes of the Sanskrit alphabet – occupies the succeeding Chapter 18, entitled mantroddhāra. Accordingly, it is to be expected that the phonic entities to be ritually handled must be the phonemes in their aspect of mother-energy, to be regarded as atoms of divine energy endowing the mantras with their power. As for the LT, a similar depiction of the body of the Goddess is found once more in a ritual context, and again in connection with mantras. Chapter 23 deals with the rituals to be performed by a teacher in order to impart mantras to his disciple. As part of these rituals, one should draw a diagram in the form of a lotus and, focusing on the pericarp of this lotus, one should meditate on the “Mother of mantras, holding the noose and the goad,”666 […] “with the limbs of her body made of letters, adorned with ornaments made of letters.”667 She is described as follows: Her body represents śabdabrahman; her head praṇava; a and ā form her eyebrows, while i and ı̄ are her eyes. [21] u and ū form her ears, ṛ and ṛ ̄ her nostrils, while lṛ and lṛ ̄are her cheeks, e and ai her lips, o and au the two rows of her teeth, ṃ is her tongue and ḥ her voice; the group of ka and the group of ca are her two hands, while the two groups of ṭa and ta form her two legs and the wise regard pa and pha to be her two sides. [22–23] ba and bha are the hind and fore parts of her [body], ma is her

142  Philosophical and Theological Teachings navel, ya and ra are her vital airs (prāṇa) and [body-] temperature; la is her necklace, va is her girdle, śa and ṣa represent her earrings, sa is her heart, while ha is [her soul] in the heart. [24–25] [The adept] should recognize kṣa to be [her] lightning bright radiating halo; raṅga (the nasal modification of vowels) represent the tip [of] her nose and the ‘twin-letters’ [her] heart. [26] Then the [letters] formed at the root of the tongue (jihvāmūlı ̄yaka) remain at the root of [her] tongue, and the letter upadhmānı ̄yaka (i.e. the visarga before pa and pha) in graded order lingers between her lips. [27] (Mantramātṛkā is to be visualized as) wearing the vanamālā consisting of beautiful [auspicious] lotuses made of letters containing Agni and Soma and reaching from shoulder to feet. [28] The learned should regard ha, belonging to the great Lord, as the crown [of the goddess] radiant as millions of flames, moons and suns [put together] and adorned with glittering jewels. [29]668 The rituals related to the meditation on this yantra of the Mother of the mantras aim at making the preceptor (ācār ya) identify himself with the Goddess, so that, permeated with the power of the letters, he becomes capable of teaching the mantras. As the text reads: [The preceptor], who has thus arranged [the letters beginning with a and ending with kṣa] on the mātṛkā(-yantra or diagram) and who himself has [thus] become identified with Mātṛkā, should then invoke the desired mantra and teach it to his disciple. [34]669 It seems plausible that, in their description of Tripurā/Gāyatrı̄, the author(s) of the TR may have taken inspiration from the above-quoted passages of the AS and the LT. In fact, though belonging to a different tradition, these two texts share with the TR the doctrinal background of the Pratyabhijñā. Moreover, the LT, and to a lesser extent also the AS, show a Sā́ kta orientation which distinguishes these saṃ hitās from the mainstream Pāñcarātra literature, thereby making them suitable reference sources for the author(s) of the TR. Compared with the AS and the LT, the peculiarity of the TR concerns the broader set of correspondences between limbs of the divine body and phonic entities. This may be explained by the specific context and function of this image of the Goddess in the mk, where the epiphany of Tripurā/Gāyatrı̄ is meant to allow the gods to contemplate her as the personification of the Sound-Word-Energy. In order to provide a picture of the Goddess which is as complete as possible, the net of correspondences is extended to a broad field, encompassing all stages of the evolution of the Sound-Word-Energy. Though inspired by the images of the Goddess occurring in the AS and the LT, the author(s) of the TR transposed the pattern of the divine image provided by these texts from its original ritual sphere to a narrative-mythical context, converting a yantra into a vivid portrayal of Tripurā/Gāyatrı̄; in so doing they freely enriched the set of correspondences and endowed this image of the Goddess with the function and meaning befitting their purpose.

The Goddess as Word-Energy  143 By drawing from different traditions, Sanderson provides ample evidence of the common features of the images of the Goddesses related to the Word.670 His scrutiny of the relevant sources reveals parallels and affinities between the Parā goddess of the Trika, and the alphabet-goddess Matṛkā in the cult of Tripurasundarı̄ and in the Pāṇcarātra AS. Regarding Parā,671 he writes: Her colour, her association with eloquence and learning, and, above all, the attributes of her hands, show that Parā is an ectype of the Goddess Sarasvatı̄, more precisely of Sarasvatı̄ as embodiment of the Word (Vāgı̄sv́ arı̄) or, which is the same conception, of the alphabet (Mātṛkāsarasvatı̄, Lipidevı̄).672 He suggests that this correspondence between the Tantric goddess Parā and the non-sectarian goddess Sarasvatı̄ may be explained by the fact that the Trika considered itself to be a universal and all-encompassing revelation, and in her likeness to Sarasvatı̄, “Parā would then be seen as the ̄ embodiment of revelation (Agamaḥ ) in its entirety, both the Tantric and 673 the Vedic.” This attempt to synthesize and harmonize the Tantric and the Vedic is evident also in the image of Tripurā/Gāyatrı̄ in the TR. Sanderson shows how Bālā too may be seen as a goddess of the alphabet, as is revealed in her cult described in the Jñānarṇavatantra (JaT).674 In this regard, it is to be noted that at the outset of the mk, Bālā appears to Sumedha Hāritāyana, fulfilling the same function of Parā/Sarasvatı̄, granting him the eloquence and knowledge necessary to compose his work: Then at night in his dream the supreme Goddess Bālā, [56cd] the Mother of the world, appeared, assuming a corporeal form out of her divine play: [59ab] [she was] a girl ten years old, whose beautiful limbs had the red colour of the rising sun, whose four hands [were] beautified by the rosary of beads, the book, [the gesture which] removes all fear [and that which] grants boons, splendid with [her] crown shining with the half moon and with [her] three eyes, charming like crores of Manmathas. [57–58]675 Bālā is endowed with the same attributes as Parā/Sarasvatı̄: rosary, book, abhaya- and varada-mudrās. Like them, she is adorned with the crescent moon and is three-eyed, but instead of being white and white-robed, Balā is described as red, the same colour that characterizes Tripurā.

The Sixfold Pathway In his work on Vāc, Padoux writes: The ṣaḍadhvan, the sixfold pathway or the six courses, offers yet another picture of that cosmic evolution of the Word extending from the Godhead down to our world, a movement one can go back over by retracing the Word to its source.676

144  Philosophical and Theological Teachings In the mk of the TR too, there are allusions to this system. In a hymn in praise of Tripurā uttered by Bṛhaspati, one reads: “This whole [world] is the product of your divine play, it is the breath of your first Word,”677 “the six pathways beginning with that of phonemes, the nine groups [of entities] beginning with time and the five energies beginning with stability, certainly [all this] does not differ from you, [who are] the power of [the supreme] Consciousness. [40]”678 The system of the six pathways is found in several Tantric texts and traditions, with specific variants relating to the concepts, ritual use, and order of the adhvans.679 Generally speaking, the six adhvans are regarded as ways of manifestation of the universe by the divine energy, and at the same time as paths leading man towards liberation; in the so-called liberating initiation (nirvāṇadı ̄kṣa)̄ they represent initiatory paths, along which the entities related to each adhvan must be purified by the adept. The metaphysical, cosmological and ritual aspects of the ṣaḍadhvan are extensively discussed by Abhinavagupta in his TĀ . In his exposition of the system, the adhvans are ordered hierarchically, from the highest to the lowest. Accordingly, from the standpoint of the manifestation and progressive differentiation of the Word-Energy – which takes place in time – the highest is the varṇad̄ hvan, the path of the phonemes, followed by the mantrādhvan, the path of the mantras which constitute a first condensation of the Word-Energy into subtle linguistic entities, and ending with the padādhvan, the path of the gross words of human language. From the standpoint of cosmic evolution – which takes place in space – the first is the kalādhvan, the path of the fragmenting and condensing energies producing the thirty-six tattvas, the cosmic entities/principles which constitute the tattvādhvan, the path of the principles, followed by the bhuvanādhvan, the path of the worlds.680 Abhinavagupta summarizes the ṣaḍadhvan as follows: In this respect, the manifestation of the [power of] action is called the way of time, a threefold way where appear clearly the phonemes, the mantras and the padas. What concerns the manifestation of forms is called the way of space, wherein dwell the three [divisions of] kalās, tattvas, and worlds.681 Returning to the brief passage of the TR quoted above – where the term ṣaḍadhvan is replaced by ṣaḍvidhamārga – the locution varṇad̄ yā (the path beginning with that of phonemes) suggests that the text follows the hierarchical order of the adhvans adopted by Abhinavagupta. The reference to the nine groups of entities beginning with time is unfortunately unclear, but, on the other hand, the mention of the five energies beginning with stability clearly refers to the five kalās forming the kalādhvan, which are generally arranged in an ascending order, according to their correspondence to groups of tattvas.682 There is a further passage in the mk, within a eulogy of Tripurā pronounced by Viṣnu ̣ , which refers more in detail to the system of the ṣaḍadhvan, and

The Goddess as Word-Energy  145 also mentions its subdivision into the path of time (kālādhvan) and the path of space (deśādhvan):683 This world which is seen is said to be her (of the Goddess) form; indeed the visible (dṛs ́ya) world is called twofold because of the distinction of time and space. [89] It is declared that time is made of action [and] sound, [and] space is made of form. Time is threefold, namely, [consisting of] phoneme (varṇa), word (pada) and mantra. [90] Indeed space too is threefold, namely, [consisting of] energy (kalā), principle (tattva) and world (bhuvana). And [all] this, in the form of a group of six, is called the sixfold pathway (ṣaḍadhvan). [91] As effect has the nature of its own cause – [like] the tree [which] has the nature of the seed – so it is said [about] phonemes (varṇa) and so forth [with respect to] time and [about] energies (kalā) and so forth [with respect to] space. [92] Because of the arising of both of these (i.e. causes and effects, alias time and space and their derivatives) from the Subject who sees (drastṛ), it is said that [these two] have the nature of the Subject who sees; therefore truly it is said that this whole [world] has the form of the Subject who sees. [93]684 This passage clearly reveals the influence of the pattern of Abhina­ vagupta. Moreover, it is stated that the entire visible world (dṛs ́ya) is a form and has the same nature of the Subject who sees (drastṛ), i.e. the absolute Subject, Consciousness, the Goddess, who is to be regarded as both immanent and beyond the sixfold pathway.685 To conclude, the extracts from the TR examined so far show that the author(s) of the work was/were aware of the speculation about the Word elaborated in the Tantric texts, and of their cosmological, soteriological and ritual connotations. The conception of the manifestation of Sound, the theory of the phonematic emanation of the universe, connected with that of the levels of the Word, and the system of the six pathways are only hinted at or briefly treated in the description of the epiphany of Tripurā/ Gāyatrı̄, in the Mātṛkāstuti, and in other passages of the mk. Nevertheless, the evidence provided by these texts combines to give a rich picture of the dynamics of the Sound-Word-Energy embodied by the Goddess, proving once more the incorporation of the philosophical teachings of the Kashmirian Śaiva non-dualism in the TR.

Notes 635 For a detailed exposition of the theory of the levels of the Word, see Padoux 1990: 166–222. 636 Padoux 1990: 148, note 170. 637 ŚSV, I, 4: tasya ādikṣan̄ tarūpā ajñātā mātā mātkā visv́ ajananı ̄ (Eng. trans. in Padoux 1990: 151–152). 638 Padoux 1990: 151–152, note 181. 639 The most significant extracts from the Mātkāstuti are quoted and commented here; for the text and translation of the whole hymn, see Synopsis, Chapter 40.

146  Philosophical and Theological Teachings I am very grateful to André Padoux and Judit Törzsök for their valuable suggestions, which have aided my understanding of some complex passages of this hymn. 640 TR, mk, 40, 11a: jaya jaya devi parāpararūpiṇi. 641 See Padoux 1990: 232. 642 TR, mk, 40, 12bc, 13ac: parihtaparimiti paravāgrūpiṇi mūlavilāsini muktimayi | svātantreṇa samı̄hitabhāve maṇipuravāsini paśyanti || 12bc || tadanu jñānamayātmavibhaktān madhyamabhāvān kalayantı̄ madhyamarūpānāhatavāsini miśritarūpe buddhimayi | vasuvidhaśaktibahiṣktabhāve pı̄t ̣havibhede vicitrakte || 13ac ||. 643 For a detailed exposition of the role played by the kuṇḍalinı in ̄ the manifestation of sound, see Padoux 1990: 124–145. On the complex notion of kuṇḍalinı ̄, see also the relevant entry in TAK II 2004: 110–112. 644 See Padoux 1990: 154–155 and note 194. 645 TR, mk, 40, 14ac: advayasaṃ vinmātraśarı ̄raṃ sadvayabhāvaṃ kalayantı ̄jātānuttaramukhaśarakiraṇair mithunavibhedād api daśadhā | ādyā tatparaparasaṃ yogād bhūyaś cāpi caturvidhatā || 14ac ||. 646 TR, mk, 40, 15ac: ante bhedābhedavibhedād api npasaṃ khyasvararūpā pañcavidhaṃ tatpañcakam ādyaṃ vyatyayayogād vedavidhā | tadanu caturdhā madhyamahı ̄nā mithunadvitayaṃ kalayantı ̄ || 15ac ||. 647 TR, mk, 40, 16ac: evaṃ *bhūs ́a(em. bhūṣa )̄ ramitabhedāḍhyā vidyārājñı ̄ mātā tvaṃ tatsaṃ bhedād akhilabhinnaṃ bhāvayasi tvaṃ sá bdamayi | tvatkalayā yadi no sambhinnaṃ gaganamayaṃ syād akhilam idaṃ || 16ac ||. 648 TR, mk, 40, 17c: tattvaṃ pratyāhtakalayā tadrūpaṃ vyāpya sadā sphurasi. 649 TR, mk, 40, 11d, 12d, 13d, 14d, 15d, 16d, 17d, 18d: jaya jaya vidyāvilasitadehe jaya jaya śaṅkari naḥ pāhi. 650 See Synopsis, Chapter 39. 651 TR, mk, 40, 3b: bı ̄jāvayavaśobhinı ̄. 652 Ibidem, 9c: vāgātmamayı ̄. 653 Ibidem, 10ab: sarvavidyātmamātkāvarṇarūpiṇı ̄. 654 The word āsá ya, deriving from the root ā-śı ̄, may signify: seat, abode, receptacle, and stomach or abdomen, and also the seat of feelings and thought, hence mind, soul. Given its polysemy, it is translated as “centre” to convey the idea of the innermost core of the divine person. 655 TR, mk, 39, 47d–55: … gāyatrı̄ṃ tripurāmbikām || 47d || ākāśarūpiṇı̄ṃ yatra vyāpya sarvaṃ samāsthitām | mātkārṇaklptadehāṃ parām ādau sudhāmayı̄m || 48 || svaravaktrāṃ pañcavargaklptabāhupadodarām | antaḥsthātmata­ dūrdhvāṅgahnmūlapariśeṣikām || 49 || paśyantı̄madhyamānābhihdayāṃ vaktravaikharı̄m | madhyamābuddhisahitāṃ pasyantı̄hdayānvitām || 50 || vaikharı̄vacanāṃ varṇavaktrāṃ padahdātmikām | vākyodarāṃ ghoṣasūkṣmāṃ varṇasthūlasvarūpiṇı̄m || 51 || aśeṣāgamamūrdhāḍhyāṃ jyotirnetrāṃ maheśvarı̄m | vaktravyākaraṇām chandovāṇı̄ṃ śikṣādikandharām || 52 || kalpakarṇāṃ sāma*hdaṃ (em. hdām) *gyajūrūpasustanı̄m (em. gyajurupasustanı̄m) | atharvaṇodarāṃ sāṃ khyayogapārśvayutāṃ śubhām || 53 || karmāgamakarāṃ tarkajaghanyāṅgı̄ṃ parātparām | upavedapṣṭhadeśāṃ purāṇālokaśobhinı̄m || 54 || kāvyālaṅkārahasitām­- tmavidyātmakāsá yām | bauddhajainādyāgamātmanakhaloma-­ virājitām || 55 ||. 656 See the eulogies of Tripurā pronounced by Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Dattātreya, Sadāsí va and Lakṣmı̄ in TR, mk, 2, 25c–33; Ibidem: 9, 87–95b; Ibidem, 49, 9–16; Ibidem, 55, 59c–61; Ibidem, 59, 87–107b. All these passages are quoted and translated in the respective chapters of the Synopsis. 657 See the descriptions of Tripurā in: TR, mk, 8, 32–45; Ibidem, 10, 111c–114b; Ibidem, 25, 1–12b; Ibidem, 44, 33–40b and Ibidem, 51, 39–62. All these passages are quoted and translated in the respective chapters of the Synopsis, and are discussed in Part I, Chapter 2. 658 This topic is extensively treated in Padoux 1990: 86ff.

The Goddess as Word-Energy  147 659 On the nāda, see Ibidem: 96ff. 660 On the varṇa, see Ibidem: 147ff. 661 This information and the indication of the pertinent passage of the AS is drawn from a remark by Padoux in Padoux 1990: 227, note 8. 662 AS, 17, 41d: mātkāvarṇamālinı ̄ … varṇamātkātmakavaiṣṇavas ́aktisvarūpa (Eng. trans. in Padoux 1990: 227). 663 AS, 17, 42–46: mantrayonir mahādevı vaiṣ ̄ nạ vı ṣ̄ aḍguṇat̄ mikā | ādivarṇapraklptānġ ā vargābharaṇabhūsị tā || 42 || padmagarbhapratı ̄kās ́ā śaṅkhapaṅkajadhāriṇı ̄ | praṇavenātha śaktyā ca śriyā saṃ klptadehikā || 43 || svarasaṃ pūrṇavadanā kacaklptakaradvayā | ṭataklptapadadvandvā pādiklptodarā śubhā || 44 || yaraprānọ ṣmakā devı ̄ lakāravarahāriṇı ̄ | vakārakāñcı ̄subhagā śaṣakuṇdạ ladhāriṇı ̄ || 45 || sahtkā hāntarātmā ca kṣaprabhā varṇamālinı ̄ | pās ́ānk̇ uśakarāgrā ca varṇa ̄ dhyeyā vipaścitā || 46 ||. 664 These are: jñāna (knowledge), s ́akti (power), aiśvarya (sovereignty), bala (strength), vı ̄rya (valour or vigour) and tejas (splendour). ́ ̄sūkta (vv. 46–59b), and the discussion 665 See Synopsis, Chapter 53, Eulogy of the Srı of this passage in Part I, Chapter 1. 666 LT, 23, 18d, 19c: mantramātkām … pās ́āṅkuśadharām. 667 Ibidem, 20cd: varṇapraklptāvayavāṃ varṇal̄ aṃ kārabhūṣitām. 668 LT, 23, 21–29: śabdabrahma tanuṃ vidyāt praṇavaṃ tu śiraḥ smaret | a ā iti bhruvau vidyād i ı ̄ vidyāt tu cakṣuṣı ̄ || 21 || u ū karṇau  ̄ nāsāpuṭav̄ anyau kapolakau | e ai oṣtḥ au ca vijñeyau o au daśanapaṇktike || 22 || aṃ jihvām aḥ samuccāraṃ kacavargau karau smaret | ṭatavargau padau vidyāt paphau pārśve smared budhaḥ || 23 || babhau paścāt purobhāgau maṃ nābhiṃ paricintayet | prānọ ṣmānạ u yarau vidyāl laṃ hāraṃ paricintayet || 24 || vakāraṃ kaṭisūtraṃ tu kuṇdạ le tu śaṣau smaret | sakāraṃ hdayaṃ vidyād hdayasthaṃ tu haṃ smaret || 25 || prasarantı ̄ṃ prabhāṃ vidyāt kṣakāraṃ vidyudujjvalām | raṅgaṃ nāsāgragaṃ vidyād yamākhyaṃ hdaye smaret || 26 || jihvāmūlı ̄yakaṃ jihvāmūle vidyād anantaram | upadhmānı ̄yakaṃ vidyād oṣtḥ ayoḥ kramaśas tathā || 27 || śubhair varṇamayaiḥ padmair agnı ̄ṣomamayaiḥ ktām | bibhratı ̄ṃ vanamālāṃ ca kaṇtḥ āt pādāv alambinı ̄m || 28 || agnı ̄ṣomārkakoṭyābhaṃ sphuradratnavibhūsị tam | makuṭaṃ cintayed vidvān hakāraṃ parameśvaram || 29 || [Eng. trans. in Gupta (ed.) 1972: 125]. 669 Ibidem, 34: mātkāktavinyāsaḥ svayaṃ sanmātkāmayaḥ | uddhared ı ̄psitaṃ mantraṃ śyṣyasyopadiśet tataḥ || 34 || [Eng. trans. in Gupta (ed.) 1972: 126]. 670 See Sanderson 1990. 671 See the descriptions of Parā in Ibidem: 33, 35, 42 (table). 672 Ibidem: 43. 673 Ibidem: 50. 674 See Ibidem: 48–49. The JaT postdates the NṢA and the YH; for details about this text of the Tripurā tradition, see Sanderson 2012–2013: 65 and note 248. 675 TR, mk, 1, 56c–59b: atha svapne tasya rātrau bālā śrı ̄parameśvarı ̄ || 56cd || sarvāvayavaśobhāḍhyā taruṇar̄ uṇasacchaviḥ | akṣamālāpustakābhı ̄varaśobhicatur­ bhujā || 57 || trinetracandraśakalavilasanmukuṭojjvalā | koṭimanmathalāvaṇyā kumārı ̄ daśavārṣikı ̄ || 58 || prādurāsı ̄j jaganmātā lı ̄lāsvı ̄ktavigrahā | 59ab. 676 Padoux 1990: 330. The system of the ṣaḍadhvan, and particularly its exposition by Abhinavagupta and Kṣemarāja, is extensively treated in Ibidem: 330ff. 677 TR, mk, 9, 37a, c: vācaḥ prāñcas tava nis ́vasitaṃ … | lı ̄lājanitaṃ sakalaṃ tat te … || 37a, c ||. 678 TR, mk, 9, 40: varṇad̄ yā api ṣaḍvidhamārgāḥ kālādyā api navasaṅghāḥ | sthairyādyā api pañcakalā nanu cicchaktes tvan nāsty anyat || 40 ||. 679 For general information about the adhvans, see the relevant entry in TAK I 2000: 110–111 and TAK II 2004: 296. 680 See the entries mantrādhvan in TAK IV forthcoming, padādhvan in TAK III 2013: 379–380, kalādhvan in TAK II 2004: 75–76, tattvādhvan in TAK III 2013: 68–69, bhuvanādhvan in TAK IV forthcoming.

148  Philosophical and Theological Teachings 681 TĀ , VI, 34–35: tatra kriyābhāsanaṃ yat so’adhvā kālādhva ucyate | varṇamantra­ padābhikyam atrāste’dhvatrayaṃ sphuṭam || 34 || yas tu mūrtyavabhāsāṃ s ́aḥ sa deśādhvā nigadyate | kalātattvapurābhikhyam antarbhūtam iha trayam || 35 || [M. K. Shāstri (ed.) 1922, vol. IV: 33–34, Eng. trans. in Padoux 1990: 333]. 682 The nivttikalā corresponds to the tattva of earth; the pratiṣtḥ ākalā (called sthairya in the TR) includes the twenty-four tattvas from water to prakti; the vidyākalā comprises the seven tattvas from puruṣa to māyā; the śan̄ takalā includes sú ddhavidyā, ı ̄s ́vara and sadāsí va; the śāntātı ̄takalā corresponds to Śakti and Śiva. 683 See the entries kālādhvan in TAK II 2004: 102–103 and deśādhvan in TAK III 2013: 199. 684 TR, mk, 9, 89–93: dśyate yaj jagad idam iti tadrūpam ucyate | dśyan tu dvividhaṃ proktaṃ kāladeśavibhedataḥ || 89 || kālaḥ kriyāmayo *rayo (em. ravo) deśo mūrtimayaḥ smtaḥ | varṇaḥ padaṃ tathā mantra iti kālas tridhā sthitaḥ || 90 || kalā tattvas ́ ca bhuvanam iti des ́o’pi vai tridhā | ṣaḍadhvanāmnā caitat tu proktaṃ ṣaṭsaṅgharūpataḥ || 91 || svakāraṇat̄ makaṃ kār yaṃ taror bı ̄jātmatā yathā | tena varṇad̄ ayaḥ kālaḥ kalādir deśa ucyate || 92 || draṣtụ s taddvayanirbhānād draṣtṛ ātmakam udı ̄titam | tasmād akhilam etad vai draṣt̣ rūpam udı ̄ritam || 93 ||. 685 It is interesting to note that in the LSN Lalitā is called “she who transcends the six pathways” (epithet 991 in LSN, 2, 181b: ṣaḍadhvātı ̄tarūpiṇı ̄).

4 The Path towards Jı ̄vanmukti

The qualities of syncretism and inclusiveness in the philosophical teachings of the TR are particularly highlighted in the doctrine of liberation. Besides the influence of the terminology and tenets of the Pratyabhijñā, it is possible also to detect the impact of ideas deriving from the MU/YV as well as, to a lesser extent, other sources; these ideas are reformulated, harmonized and subsumed under the TR’s Śākta perspective. Moreover, it is especially in the domain of soteriology that the purpose of the stylistic choices and literary devices adopted by the author(s) of the work, enabling the transmission of salvific teachings in a lively and accessible language, are most readily understood and appreciated. The longing for liberation and the search for enlightening teachings constitute the starting point and the core of the entire TR. In the frame story of the mk, the brāhman warrior Paraśurāma is presented as a man who, after carrying out heroic deeds, has sunk into melancholy and is deeply disillusioned with the world. During his wanderings, he encounters first the ascetic Saṃ varta, then the sage Dattātreya whose teachings progressively illuminate him and thus alleviate his suffering.686 This recalls the frame story of both the MU and the YV, in which the young prince Rāma returns depressed from a pilgrimage and seems not to care any longer about life at court; this state of mind reveals the signs of reflection (viveka) and detachment (vairāgya), considered as the preconditions for enlightenment. After reflecting on the miseries and vanity of worldly life, Rāma receives instruction from the sage Vasiṣth ̣ a in order to prepare him for his duties as future king, all the time enjoying the condition of liberated while still alive (jı ̄vanmukta).687 Rāma and Paraśurāma are both facing a critical existential turning point. Notwithstanding the similarity of their condition, their instruction takes place at different periods of their lives, hence their attainment of jı ̄vanmukti has different meanings and implications. The teachings of Vasiṣth ̣ a are aimed at preparing Rāma for holding the rank of king, thus his enlightenment ushers in his heroic path; for Rāma, the possibility of performing the sometimes cruel tasks of warrior and monarch, while remaining emancipated on the inside, corresponds to an ideal of liberation suitable to his kṣatriya milieu. Conversely, Paraśurāma, a brāhman with DOI: 10.4324/9780429297380-11

150  Philosophical and Theological Teachings the temperament of a kṣatriya, only obtains from Dattātreya the salvific knowledge resulting in jı ̄vanmukti at the end of his heroic exploits, and by that time he is seeking a peace of mind that will release him from any task or obligation. The comparability between the TR and the MU/YV is not limited to their respective frame stories, but also concerns their authors’ decision to convey salvific teachings through the medium of a literary and poetic language, through stories, allegorical tales and mythic narratives. These are not simply stylistic devices, but – as Hanneder remarks about the stories of the MU – they form an integral part of the author’s philosophicalsoteriological method.688 This holds true also for the TR where, especially in the jk, the dramatically voiced dialogue between Paraśurāma and Dattātreya is interspersed with philosophical and allegorical tales. Through these narratives Dattātreya introduces, discusses and illustrates doctrinal issues to solve the doubts of Paraśurāma; moreover, he gives examples of characters who successfully followed a path towards liberation, thereby relieving his disciple’s existential anguish. This use of narrative as a soteriological method through which the teachings are incorporated and somehow enacted in the stories, illustrated by the characters and rooted in their life experiences, is linked with a major characteristic of both the TR and the MU/YV: these are not systematic philosophical treatises, but provide a progressive exposition of tenets, whose possible inconsistencies may be explained by what Hanneder called a “gradation of instruction.”689 Accordingly, teachings and assertions which are deemed suitable to a certain degree of spiritual maturity of the disciple may be successively changed and adjusted in accordance with the progress he has made. In this perspective the whole TR can be read as a gradual instruction of Paraśurāma, and the work’s structure may be considered as meeting the requirements of this instruction. Thus, the esoteric teaching of Saṃ varta, recorded in the frame story at the beginning of the mk and containing in a nutshell valuable insights that are not initially grasped by Paraśurāma, is taken up again at the beginning of the jk and progressively disclosed and developed in this section of the work, through the philosophical and allegorical tales told by Dattātreya. Before being qualified to receive and understand the knowledge hinted at by Saṃ varta, Paraśurāma must hear the celebration of the majesty of the Goddess – contained in the mk – aimed at eliciting his devotion, through which he may obtain her divine grace and, thereby, salvific knowledge. Hence the entire mk, with its mythic narratives on the deeds of the Goddess(es) and the ritual prescriptions for her worship, fulfils the function of preparing Paraśurāma – and along with him each adept – to receive and comprehend the higher salvific teachings expounded in the jk.

The Path towards Jı ̄vanmukti  151

First Teachings During their encounter, Saṃ varta indicates to Paraśurāma the first steps leading to liberation: Having apprehended [that you must] abide with your own path, there, with a detached disposition of mind, [you] should properly propitiate Tripurā, the great Goddess, [who is] the power of your own self, according to the way taught by the spiritual teacher. [Then], resorting to a slight trace of her compassion, [you] will grasp the reality of your own self, whose source is the same for all. [51–52]690 In the MU/YV too, detachment or passionlessness (vairāgya) is regarded as a crucial step towards emancipation;691 it is the mental attitude of he who is set for liberation692 and, in its highest form, it is even equated with jı ̄vanmukti.693 In this passage of the TR viraktadhı ̄ (stemming, like vairāgya, from the root vi-rañj) is to be understood as the disinterested inner disposition which constitutes the precondition for the ritual propitiation of the Goddess, which may elicit her compassion and, eventually, grant knowledge of the Self. Saṃ varta’s discourse continues: [You] will know that everything is made of your own self, [i.e.] it is made of the Śakti [and that], on the other hand, the continued existence of the world, [which is] different from the Self at the core of the Śakti, is essentially only a manifestation, a reflection [of the Śakti]. [53] [Thus,] o son of Jamadagni, after having attained the condition of universal spiritual teacher, free from fear and doubts, you [will become] like me, moving at will, [yet] immovable. [54] [He] who abides in the condition of knower, having eradicated the feeling of being the body, [knowing that] his own self is in every being [and] every being is in his own self, having understood [what has] to be known [about] his own body, is always pointed out as a knower. [55–56b]. For this [man], who may move [in the world], there is no work to be done in the path of worldly existence; [56cd] moreover, at first he shall acknowledge the defects of the course of worldly existence, then he shall quickly feel the detachment characterising the good path. [57] The mortal being who constantly practises the substance of what I have concisely told, indeed shall soon proceed to the auspicious path, [that is] higher than the highest. [58]694 After having pointed out that a detached disposition of mind is the appropriate attitude for those seeking the liberating knowledge (v. 51b), Saṃ varta explains that this virtue is the result of a disregard for worldly existence (v. 57), a world weariness corresponding to the melancholy experienced by Paraśurāma.

152  Philosophical and Theological Teachings The first cognitive step towards knowledge of the Self is the eradication of the feeling of being the body (v. 55c), since considering the Self to be the physical body leads one to mistake the Self for the body.695 In a verse of his Paramārthasāra (PS), Abhinavagupta speaks of two levels of error which must be eradicated: the first consists in mistaking the Self for the non-Self, such as, for instance, the body; the second consists in mistaking the non-Self for the Self: “After initially setting aside the error that consists in the Self appearing in the form of the non-Self, the supreme Self sloughs off then the erroneous view whereby the non-Self is projected onto the Self. [39]”696 The text of the TR does not elaborate on the second level of this error, but the statement that for the knower there is no more work to be done (v. 56cd) suggests that this passage may be indebted to the PS which, in the successive verse, reads: “In this way, when these twin delusions have been cut off, along with their roots, there is no penchant at all on the part of the supreme adept who has attained his goal to accomplish anything else. [40]”697 Once the misconception that narrows the Self to within the limits of the body has been uprooted, the adept realizes that his own self is in every being and every being is in his own self (v. 55ab), a formulation which echoes the well-known verse of the Bhagavadgı ̄tā (BhG, 4, 29).698 The text of the TR specifies that the Self, who is the same for all beings, is none other than the Śakti, the divine Energy, the supreme Consciousness embodied by the Goddess; she is the source, support, and resting place of all beings (vv. 52c–53). He who has acquired knowledge of the Self is then described as someone who may still move in the world, whilst remaining immovable underneath (v. 54cd). This is an allusion to the condition of the jı ̄vanmukta who, though having understood the relationship between his self and his body (v. 56a), thereby realizing that the self is not the body, yet can enjoy liberation while still alive, hence while still joined to his body. In fact, jı ̄vanmukti is also called sadehamukti. As the PS states: “He who has cut the knots of ignorance, whose doubts have vanished, who has put aside error, whose merits and demerits have been destroyed, is liberated, though still joined with his body. [61]”699 In his commentary Yogarāja explains that bondage is due to ignorance, not to the connection with the body.700 Saṃ varta’s condensed speech hints at several elements of the soteriological teachings of the TR, anticipating ideas which will be elaborated later in the text, especially in the jk. It shows how important it is for those who seek salvific teachings to be indifferent to worldly existence, mentioning the role played by the guru and by divine grace on the path towards knowledge; it identifies the delusion that must be removed to access knowledge of the Self, and it alludes to the condition of jı ̄vanmukta. Dattātreya develops Saṃ varta’s discourse with the following words: Now the Self alone is the eternal brilliant lustre of all worlds: though luminous, it is always considered dark because of ignorance. [71] Therefore through his recognition (pratyabhijñā) the destruction

The Path towards Jı ̄vanmukti  153 of ignorance occurs immediately. Not otherwise, [even] by crores of efforts, does one come to that condition of coolness, inside and outside, everywhere, that is like living in an island in the middle of the Ganges. [72–73b]701 The concept of recognition introduced by Dattātreya is obviously borrowed ̄ from the Pratyabhijñā. At the outset of his IPK, Utpaladeva writes: “However, since He, though being directly perceived (dṛṣtẹ ’pi), is not discerned for what He is because of delusion, precisely for this reason, by bringing His powers to light, the recognition (pratyabhijñā) of Him is shown.”702 As Torella explains in his annotation on the term pratyabhijñā,703 the Self is not known – as is the case of those objects which, not being self-illuminating, must be illuminated – but is simply recognized because, although it is concealed by ignorance, it is ever-present. Besides the reassertion of this fundamental tenet of the Pratyabhijñā, the text of the TR seems, in its depiction of the inner cool/calm condition (śı ̄talaṃ bhāvam) of the knower, to refer to the internal calmness/detachment (antaḥs ́ı ̄talatā) that, in the MU, connotes the samādhi of detachment equated with jı ̄vanmukti.704 These first teachings imparted by Saṃ varta and Dattātreya to a still confused Paraśurāma anticipate those expounded in the jk, intended for a more advanced adept. Before reverting to these, Dattātreya encourages Paraśurāma to listen to the celebration of the majesty of the Goddess; his aim is to foster the devotion through which his disciple will obtain divine grace and, thereby, true knowledge. In fact, the mk provides a significant example for the function of devotion in the attainment of liberation: the demon Bhaṇḍa, passionate devotee of the Goddess, finds a death-liberation after being slain in battle by Lalitā, who eventually grants him sāyujyamukti, liberation consisting in the union with the godhead. There are thus two different kinds of final emancipation envisaged in the soteriology of the TR: a liberation after death (also called videhamukti) and a liberation while still alive (also called sadehamukti); to these correspond different types of devotees/adepts, according to a hierarchical order which implies the necessity of a “gradation of instruction.”705 A ranking of devotees/adepts is in fact set out in a hymn dedicated to Tripurā: You alone manifest yourself in the form of consciousness and bliss for the great yogins who stand firm on the ground of the intellect, after having controlled [their] internal organs, eliminated [the urgings of] the senses and abandoned all passion, beginning with desire. [22] So others too, the lords among the great yogins (mahāyoginātha), even though they have not controlled their mind and their sense organs in that way, being wakeful, see all things shining manifest as in a mirror in the nectar of their own consciousness. [23]706 To the first type of yogins belong those who, to attain the experience of the divine Consciousness, must strive to control their senses and passions

154  Philosophical and Theological Teachings by the power of their thought; still immersed in the world of duality, they must purify their thought by means of their yogic practices. To the second type of yogins belong instead those who are beyond the necessity of selfrestraint, because they have recognised their true nature and are aware of the identity between their own self and the supreme Self; for these, who are beyond duality, the whole universe appears as reflected in the mirror of their own consciousness, as it appears in the mirror of the divine Consciousness. A further reference to this high rank of yogins is found in another hymn in praise of Tripurā: O Mother of the world, those who are, even for an instant, aware in their own heart of your divine Energy (kalā),707 which is made of Consciousness, will certainly enjoy lasting happiness. [71] O Mother, when the memory of the impressions left in the mind by the desire for worldly objects has disappeared, the yogins who see in the still and spotless mirror of their inner being your divine Energy (kalā) as their own self, they triumph, dwelling happy in the abode of supreme bliss. [72] Thus, having reflected for a long time [and] being aware of your form in [their] inner being, let [these yogins] be steady in their state of mind, in possession of their true nature. Afterwards, as they consider all that is exterior as your form, taking supreme pleasure in you, indeed they are to be worshipped as kings among the yogins (yogı ̄ndra). [73]708 To a lower rank belong instead the common devotees, who are not qualified to follow either of the paths suitable for the yogins: Simple-natured people do not find their way on the most valuable and very narrow path [that has been] mentioned. To rescue these beings, you take manifold, outward, gross form[s] (sthūlarūpa), intelligible to [their] eyes. [24] For their worship you have established many diverse ways. Now, by whichever [of these] ways, after having granted [these forms of yours to your devotees], you endow [them] with your own nature, as the ocean makes its own the waters of the rivers which enter it. [25] As the head [is the uppermost part] for the bodies, so the most important among these many forms [of yours] is the figure endowed with bow, arrows, noose, and goad. [For] those who adore that form of Tripurā, [that] is always the best one. [26] Desirous of rescuing beings from the ocean of sorrow, after having shown many, excellent ways [of salvation], you are celebrated for your tender compassion. Indeed, you alone, who ́ have the form of the supreme Sakti, are to be worshipped. [27]709 In the various Tantric traditions – referred to as the “many diverse ways” (anekamārgān vicitrān, v. 25a) – the deity is generally deemed to take a threefold form (rūpa): supreme (para), subtle (sūkṣma) and gross (sthūla). Out of compassion for living beings, the deity reveals itself in such forms

The Path towards Jı ̄vanmukti  155 to enable the devotees to make the salvific experience of the divine presence in meditation and in ritual worship. In the sthūlarūpa (mentioned in v. 24d), the deity appears with corporeal, visible features, which are represented in the cult image (mūr ti, v. 26b) meant for ritual worship (āradhana, v. 25a). In the ceremonies of installation and consecration (pratiṣṭhā), the deity is invoked and made to descend into the cult image, to vivify and divinize it; when the deity enters the cult image, the latter, charged with the divine presence, ceases to be a physical icon and becomes a living manifestation of the deity, worthy of adoration and fit for ritual worship. It is to such rituals that verse 25 alludes: the Goddess, manifesting in manifold mūrtis, permeates them with her own nature, so that each of these mūrtis actualizes her divine presence in a concrete way. The simile used in the text is, however, not appropriate, for, unlike ­rivers which spring from different sources and flow into the ocean, blending their waters with the waters of the ocean, the mūrtis all originate from one source, i.e. the Goddess, and, being impregnated by her nature, they spread her salvific power through the world. At several points of the mk, in diverse contexts, it is stated that the Goddess, out of compassion (kṛpā, or karuṇa)̄ for human and divine beings, or even for the sake of mere play (lı ̄lā), takes visible, corporeal forms, thereby bestowing her grace (anugraha) and enabling her devotees to contemplate and worship her.710 The last chapter of the mk is accordingly devoted to prescriptions as to the method of worship of Tripurā,711 whereby the devotees may, as their ultimate reward, attain liberation (mokṣa, v. 54d), envisaged as union with the Goddess (sāyujya, vv. 14d and 88d). Finally, it is asserted that the devotion aroused through listening to the mk leads eventually to liberation.712 The formulation mokṣadvāra (v. 113d) seems however to suggest that devotion and worship are considered as a “door” opening towards final emancipation, rather than as a true means of liberation (upāya). In fact, as shown by the discussion of the contents of this chapter – the only one dealing with ritual – this is not crucial to the author(s) of the work.713 Its lesser importance may be explained by the teachings expounded in the jk, which propound a way of salvation in which ritual does not play a significant part.

The Ever-Present Self The jk opens by resuming the frame story, in which Paraśurāma, having been initiated by Dattātreya, devotes himself to the ritual worship of the Goddess for a long time. Thereafter, engrossed in his reflections about the impermanence of worldly existence and the ultimate vanity of all human activity, he realizes that, as long as one is prey to the demon of duty, even though it be ritual obligation, one shall never be free from sorrow. Therefore, in this world, only those great souls who are free from duty, who are contented, and as if immersed in coolness, can be said to be happy.714 He recalls the image of the sage Saṃvarta, who had appeared to him as a

156  Philosophical and Theological Teachings man completely detached, free from the poisonous fever of duty, smiling fearless at the course of the world,715 and he recollects his words, which he had not been able to understand. He thus resolves to resort to his guru Dattātreya, not only to find an explanation for Saṃvarta’s discourse but, above all, to learn how to attain the happy condition enjoyed by that sage.716 Paraśurāma’s idea that duty, including ritual obligations, is the root of sorrow, hence of bondage, corresponds with Saṃ varta’s ideal of the sage for whom there is no work to be done in worldly existence, and accords with the similar formulation found in Abhinavagupta’s PS.717 Furthermore, the idea of the coolness/calmness characterizing the great souls and Saṃ varta718 – who is described with the vivid image of an elephant plunged into a cool pond surrounded by a forest on fire719 – recalls the cool/calm condition evoked by Dattātreya720 and likened by him to living on an island in the middle of the Ganges; all images which match the internal calmness/ detachment (antaḥs ́ı ̄talatā) praised by the MU. These parallels of terms and ideas testify to the continuity between the frame stories of the two sections of the TR. Dattātreya welcomes Paraśurāma’s request for enlightenment by praising the function of reflection (vicāra), to be regarded as the root of final emancipation,721 and by saying that it is the Goddess Tripurā who takes the form of reflection in the consciousness of those who worship her with devotion and faith. Then, while emphasizing the importance of the association with the sages,722 he begins his instruction by telling a story. It is worth mentioning that in the MU, association with the sages (sādhusaṅgama) and reflection (vicāra) are counted among the four metaphorical gatekeepers (dvārapāla) at the door of liberation, after equanimity (śama) and contentment (saṃ toṣa), and vicāra is considered to be the head of these four.723 Dattātreya begins his instruction by telling the story of a royal couple, in which a wise queen, Hemalekhā, lectures her spouse Hemacūḍa.724 After having received from Hemalekhā a first teaching about the nature of desire – to be regarded as the seed of the tree of pain725 – Hemacūḍa feels an increasing disregard of and disgust with worldly experiences726 and, through this world-weariness, he attains a state of complete detachment.727 In his despondency,728 Hemalekhā recognizes the seed of his future emancipation.729 This situation, which recalls the melancholic mood of Paraśurāma at the outset of the mk, is a first indication that the characters of the stories, when they play the role of disciples and teachers, can be considered as alter egos of Paraśurāma and Dattātreya. In order to proceed with her instruction, Hemalekhā has to pierce the scepticism of Hemacūḍa, arguing that good reasoning (sattarka), supported by faith (śraddhā), enables he who exerts his strength and courage (pauruṣa) to recognize his highest goal and to ascertain the appropriate means of attaining it.730 Hemalekhā’s words provide yet another instance of how the author(s) of the TR drew freely from terms and concepts deriving from diverse sources, incorporating them into his/their own views. In fact, the

The Path towards Jı ̄vanmukti  157 important function of human effort (pauruṣa) as a prerequisite for he who is set for liberation, is duly emphasized in the MU, especially in connection with its ideal of jı ̄vanmukti appropriate for a kṣatriya milieu.731 On the other hand, Hemalekhā’s mention of good reasoning (sattarka) seems to derive from Abhinavagupta’s TĀ 732 where, in the śāktopāya – the “way of the energy”, also known as the way of knowledge – the adept has to purify his discursive thought (vikalpa733), which is directed to the realm of duality and differentiation, in order to awaken his “intuitive reason” (sattarka), which alone is capable of grasping non-dual Reality.734 Hemalekhā goes on to say that, to overcome the great illusion which is the source of sorrow, one should obtain the grace735 of the great Lord, who is himself the creator of this illusion. But only those who worship him without any expectation deserve his grace; for their sake the Lord may, out of his sovereign freedom,736 overlook even the laws of the ripening of acts and of necessity. This emphasis on the salvific function of divine grace, and on its free and gratuitous nature, constitutes a further reference to Abhinavagupta, who considers grace as the highest among the five functions of Śiva. For Abhinavagupta, who devotes the thirteenth chapter of his TĀ to the different types of grace, according to their intensity, “It is by the favour of the supreme grace of the Lord that the conscious subjects worthy of the highest knowledge can attain liberation in this life, while becoming absorbed in the divine energy.”737 Padoux remarks that, rather than prasāda (“favour”), Abhinavagupta prefers the term anugraha (“grace”), or sá ktipāta (“descent of energy”), the latter being a “more dynamic formulation, which underscores how sudden, unforeseen – because essentially free and gratuitous – is the nature of grace.”738 All three terms are used in the TR. Prasāda occurs in diverse contexts.739 Anugraha designates the highest of the five divine functions, which – in the Śākta perspective of the TR – are all performed by the Goddess, or by the gods insofar as they are endowed with her energy;740 it is anugraha ́ that ultimately grants the liberating knowledge.741 Saktipā ta is mentioned by Dattātreya, who praises the reflections of his pupil as a mark of divine grace.742 During the instruction of Paraśurāma, and of his alter egos in the stories, the states of mind that make the disciples worthy of the highest teachings are considered to be inspired by divine grace, which is referred to by any one of the three terms. Later, Hemalekhā acknowledges that her spouse has progressed on the path towards liberation and deserves to be illuminated on account of his detachment (vairasya) and reflection (vicāra), regarded as marks of divine grace (anugraha).743 It should be noted that divine grace is said to inspire the disciple with vairāgya and vicāra (in this order). These are the very same steps towards liberation indicated by the MU, where detachment/ dispassion is regarded as the result of clear discernment (viveka), i.e. reflection (vicāra).744 There is, however, a major difference between the TR and the MU in this regard, for in the latter there is no concept of

158  Philosophical and Theological Teachings divine grace. As Hanneder observes: “Divine grace plays no role anywhere in the text, and is ruled out by the concept of liberation depending on individual effort (pauruṣa).”745 On the contrary, in the TR, just as in the Trika of Abhinavagupta, divine grace plays an essential role in the process of emancipation. The whole of the TR, the secret doctrine of the Goddess Tripurā, may be considered as the revelation of a salvific knowledge that the Goddess, out of her gracious disposition, discloses to the worthy adept in order to lead him to liberation. The core of Hemalekhā’s teaching concerns knowledge of the Self, i.e. of one’s own nature. In truth, the Self is everywhere and always manifest to everyone, but it cannot be thought of;746 a spiritual teacher can therefore only show the path and the means (upāya) of discovering it. One such means is to attempt to grasp the Self in what remains after discarding all that which is called “mine-ness” (mamatva),747 i.e. one’s own body, mind, intellect and so forth. However, even the effort of making all activities of the body, the mind and the intellect vanish, will not bring about attainment of the Self. In fact, it may be said that the Self is not attained748 because it is always already attained; it is unattainable749 because it is not necessary to endeavour to attain it. Hence, one does not have to go far to attain it, for it is by standing still that it is constantly attained.750 In such statements one may recognize the impact of the tenets of the Pratyabhijñā, and in particular a possible reference to a definition of liberation given in the PS: “Neither has liberation any abode, nor does it involve a going elsewhere. Liberation is the manifestation of one’s own energies realized by cutting the knot of ignorance. [60]”;751 in his commentary Yogarāja writes: “Therefore, nothing at all novel is realized in liberation: there is displayed nothing but one’s own innate nature.”752 Furthermore, it is not by reasoning that one can grasp the Self. The Self cannot be known by means of reflection (vicāra), but instead shines manifest in the absence of reflection.753 Here, vicāra does not indicate the lucid realization of the vanity of worldly existence – regarded as a step towards liberation – but rather discursive, rational knowledge.754 Thus, urging her spouse/disciple to resort to his subtle insight (sūkṣmadṛs ́), Hemalekhā says: The world consists of knowledge and the knowable. [86d] Knowledge is self-established, [because] without it nothing would exist; it is the means of knowledge [which permits ascertainment of any] means of knowledge, it is not [proven by] the means of knowledge, [because] it is self-proven. [87] It is established from the beginning, because [for knowledge] the means of knowledge are irrelevant; it does not need any demonstration, because it is the foundation of all demonstrations. [88]755 In these statements the influence of the Pratyabhijñā is clearly detectable. The locution tatra jñānaṃ svataḥ siddhaṃ (“knowledge is self-established”,

The Path towards Jı ̄vanmukti  159

̄ v. 87a) reproduces verbatim the words of Utpaladeva in his IPK, I.1.5a. At the outset of his work, Utpaladeva asserts that the Self can neither be proven nor denied, because it is that which is first and foremost established, before anything else: “What intelligent being could ever deny or establish the cognizer and agent, the Self, Maheśvara, established from the beginning (ādisiddhe)?”756 Unlike any object, the subject, the Self, is self-luminous, self-evident: it is the a priori condition of any cognitive process, hence it can be said to be a priori-established (ādi-siddha). The attribute ādisiddha, which ̄ in the IPK (I.1.2b) is referred to the Self, in the passage of the TR (jk, 9, 88b) is referred to knowledge. However, the context of the passage of the TR allows the pair knowledge/knowable to be interpreted in the locution jñānajñeyātmakaṃ jagat (v. 86d) as signifying the pair subject/object, since the whole of Hemalekhā’s discourse is about the Self and the possibility of knowing it. To sum up, Hemalekhā teaches that it is not possible to attain the Self, because it is ever-present: nor is it necessary to do anything to grasp it, and no means of knowledge can prove it. As Dattātreya suggests in his first speech,757 in accordance with Utpaladeva’s wording,758 it cannot be known, but only recognized. This story also includes some instructions about specific meditative practices aimed at laying bare the Self in the gap between different states of consciousness: With keen discernment one should focus [the attention] on the passage between waking and sleep, then on the interval between different perceptions, and on the point of fusion between consciousness and its object; [94] [by experiencing] this [intermediate] state, one attains one’s own nature and is ever free from bewilderment. [95ab]759 These practices derive from the Vijñānabhairavatantra (VBT), the influential, ancient treatise of the Trika, which deals with different types of meditation. The practice of concentrating on the passage between wakefulness and sleep is taken from VBT, 75: When sleep has not yet fully appeared i.e. when one is about to fall asleep, and all the external objects (though present) have faded out of sight then the state (between sleep and waking) is one on which one should concentrate. In that state the Supreme Goddess will reveal Herself. [75]760 This intermediate state between wakefulness and sleep, which Silburn defines as a “vigilant relaxation fostering the interiorization,”761 hence opening to the yogin the possibility of experiencing the Self, is also mentioned in the SK: “The fully enlightened has, always and incessantly, the undeviating knowledge of the Self in all the three states; the other one

160  Philosophical and Theological Teachings (viz. the partially enlightened) has it only at the beginning and end of each state. [17]”762 In his exposition of Kṣemarāja’s commentary on this kārikā, Singh explains that, whereas the fully enlightened yogin (suprabuddha) experiences the Self constantly, during all three states of consciousness, the partially enlightened yogin is aware of the Self only in the momentary gap between these states, so that this meditative practice is directed to the less advanced adepts.763 It is therefore appropriate that Hemalekhā recommends that her disciple begin with this meditation. The meditations that follow, focused on the interval between different perceptions, and on the point of fusion between consciousness and its object, derive from VBT, 61 and 62, respectively. VBT, 61 reads: At the moment when one has perception or knowledge of two objects or ideas, one should simultaneously banish both perceptions or ideas and apprehending the gap or interval between the two, should mentally stick to it (i.e. the gap). In that gap will Reality flash forth suddenly. [61]764 In her comment on this verse, Silburn explains that, in the gap or void between the perception of two objects, the fullness of the Self shines.765 The next verse reads: When the mind of the aspirant that comes to quit one object is firmly restrained (niruddha) and does not move towards any other object, it comes to rest in a middle position between the two and through it (i.e. the middle position) is unfolded intensely the realization of pure consciousness in all its intensity. [62]766 Whereas in the previous meditation, concentration had to be focused on the gap between the perceptions of two objects, here, after the perception of an object, the mind must be blocked before it passes on to the perception of another object. The result is the same: “attaining the interstitial void which always abides between two states of consciousness.”767 These meditative practices are regarded as merely a first step on the path towards liberation, suitable for the still inexperienced adept. In fact, after having practised the meditations taught by his spouse, Hemacūḍa fears that any interruption of his state of absorption may jeopardize the peace of mind that he has attained; Hemalekhā thus asks him how he could believe that the mere opening or closing of the eyes might hide the fullness of Consciousness. She goes on to explain that release from bondage is nothing other than undoing the knots of ignorance, thereby realizing that one’s own nature is the pure, unsurpassed Consciousness, which is like the surface of a great mirror reflecting multifarious worldly existence.768 For he who has known the supreme Reality, nothing remains to be done.769 She entreats her disciple to contemplate everywhere the Self brimming over with bliss

The Path towards Jı ̄vanmukti  161 and to contemplate the whole world reflected in the Self like an image reflected in a mirror; thereafter – she concludes – abandoning even this idea that the Self is everywhere, by an inner accordance with that which remains (s é ṣa, i.e. the pure Consciousness), one should abide composed by one’s own self.770 Enlightened by his spouse, the prince eventually attains the liberating knowledge and the condition of jı ̄vanmukta: he neither exulted at any joy, nor grieved at any sorrow, but looked with an equal eye upon gain and loss, upon enemies and friends, continuing to perform his royal duties with the detachment of an actor playing his role on the stage.771 There is a certain affinity between this story and that of Cūḍālā in the YV.772 In both tales, the queens attain liberation while still alive, before their husbands, and thus play the role of spiritual teachers; moreover, the kings Hemacūḍa and Śikhidhvaja (Cūḍālā’s husband) are similarly conceited and contemptuous of their spouses initially, and only later become worthy of receiving, and capable of understanding, their teachings.773 Furthermore, the depiction of the behaviour of Hemacūḍa who, as a jı v̄ anmukta, is acting in the world while underneath remaining indifferent to everything – in accordance with Saṃ varta’s words, “moving at will, [yet] immovable”774 – recalls the description of King Śikhidhvaja at the end of the story of Cūḍālā. After having been illuminated by his wise queen: free from fear and grief, devoid of pride and envy, accomplishing the acts suitable to his own nature, his mind free from passion for the objects of enjoyment, looking at everything equally, this noble man, having conquered death, ruled over his kingdom for ten thousand winters. [29]775 In both cases the attainment of jı ̄vanmukti concerns only the inner attitude of the kings and is compatible with the ongoing fulfilment of their royal duties. This fact, together with the role of teachers played by the queens, reveals the impact of a kṣatriya milieu on both works: while the MU/YV was “regularly recited to royals throughout Indian history,”776 in the stories of the jk of the TR there are other prominent kṣatriya teachers besides Hemalekhā, such as King Janaka and Prince Hemaṅgada.777 It should be remarked, however, that, despite general similarities between the stories in the TR and the YV, there are major differences in the contents of their teachings, reflecting the differing worldviews of the two works: the realistic idealism of the TR, derived from the Pratyabhijñā, contrasts strongly with the illusionism and acosmism of the YV; the role of divine grace, which is prominent in the TR, is absent in the YV; non-dualist Śaivism did not exert a substantial influence on the MU/YV778 as it did on the TR. These differences reveal the limits of a comparison between the TR and the MU/YV. In order to account for the similarities, which can nevertheless be discovered, it may be suggested

162  Philosophical and Theological Teachings that the author(s) of the TR might have been aware of such influential works as the MU/YV; he/they might have drawn inspiration from some of the narrative situations and ideas of the MU/YV, incorporating them into his/their work, without these borrowings substantially affecting the fundamental tenets derived from the Pratyabhijñā, which mould the general worldview of the TR.

Samādhi The salvific teachings expounded so far have highlighted the limits of certain means which could be considered as conducive to liberation: in the frame story of the jk, Paraśurāma remarks that even ritual worship – which binds man to the performance of acts, compelled by duty – does not prove its efficacy as a means leading ultimately to liberation; in the story of Hemalekhā, both the effort of making any activity of the body, mind etc. vanish, and the meditative practices focusing on the gap between different states of consciousness turn out to be insufficient means of bringing about the desired result, knowledge of the Self. In another story told by Dattātreya,779 it is the knowledge based only on the authoritative scriptures which is at stake. The young brāhman Aṣtạ ̄vakra, who has triumphed in a dialectical contest over all the sages gathered for a sacrifice celebrated by king Janaka, is challenged and lectured by a female ascetic. While showing him the limits of his abstract, indirect780 knowledge of the Self, the wise woman tells him that it is not by reasoning, but only by turning towards one’s innermost being that can one attain true insight. She explains that, as long as the sight is turned outwards, the mental eye cannot be turned inwards, and without inner vision one cannot grasp Consciousness. This inner vision should be devoid of effort. Hence by abstaining from effort, one attains one’s own essence, understanding that Consciousness is unknowable and yet perfectly known. Having thus known the unknowable, one attains immortality.781 Aṣtạ ̄vakra is baffled by the paradoxical statement that knowledge can be unknowable,782 and he resorts to Janaka for an explanation; thus, the proud brāhman, after having been lectured by an ascetic and, what’s more, a woman, becomes the disciple of a king. Janaka explains that knowledge is neither entirely unknowable, nor entirely knowable.783 It is not knowable in itself, yet it may be ascertained under a form other than itself,784 namely through knowable objects. Since knowledge is the support of all things and the essence of the knowing subject, it cannot itself become a knowable object.785 But he who turns his mental eye inwards – the eye by which he can see in dreams – and is highly concentrated, will make his own essence manifest. Unlike any object, Consciousness is omnipresent as the substratum of all things, she is always fully present in the mind; therefore, it suffices to turn the mind away from other objects to make the conscious self fully manifest.786 This supreme path (sādhana), leading to the knowledge of Reality, can be followed only by those who have a pure

The Path towards Jı ̄vanmukti  163 mind. All other paths – such as ritual acts (karman), worship (upāsana), detachment (vairāgya), etc. – aim only at the purification of the mind. Janaka reformulates the essence of the teaching of Hemalekhā, i.e. her assertion of the primacy of the conscious self, the knowing subject; since the latter is the substratum of every possible objective reality, it cannot be known as an object, but can only be recognized – adds Janaka – by changing the direction of the mental eye and turning it inwards, thereby transforming the sight into insight. Just as Hemalekhā had taught some meditative practices as the means of laying bare the Self, so in his turn Janaka gives his disciple some examples, taken from ordinary life, which illustrate the way the Self manifests, such as: in the experiences undergone in deep sleep (suṣupti), in the immediate perception of an object, and in the meditative absorption free from mental constructs (nirvikalpa samādhi). These three experiences have in common a compact way of manifestation of their respective objects, free from mental constructs.787 They are: the avyakta in deep sleep; a particular object in the immediate perception; and pure Consciousness in samādhi. It is therefore only in samādhi – even in the momentary samādhis which may occur in daily life – that pure Consciousness shines fully manifest. Referencing the criticism voiced by the female ascetic over Aṣtạ ̄vakra’s indirect knowledge of the Self, Janaka explains that knowledge of the Self is twofold, indirect and direct:788 the former, based on faith in the teachings of spiritual teachers and scriptures, does not grant the highest goal; direct knowledge instead arises from the perfection of samādhi, and a samādhi culminating in this direct knowledge brings about the insight that can destroy ignorance, along with everything connected with it, and to grant the auspicious result.789 Finally, Janaka recapitulates the steps on the path leading to liberation, thereby justifying the necessity of a gradation of instruction: through devotion and worship one may gain divine grace, which inspires detachment from worldly existence (vairāgya) and a longing for liberation (mumukṣutva); given these good dispositions, one can acquire from a spiritual teacher the indirect knowledge of the non-dual reality; thereafter, a direct knowledge of this reality will arise from the nirvikalpa samādhi; finally, by recollecting the experience of samādhi, the recognition (pratyabhijñāna) of one’s own identity with this non-dual reality790 will destroy ignorance and bring about final emancipation.

The Jı̄vanmukta In compliance with the method of progressive enlightenment adopted in the jk, especially as regards its soteriology, at each step of the instruction, Dattātreya and his alter egos reassert the same fundamental tenets and, from time to time, they deepen, exemplify or enrich their teachings with new ideas. These ideas are often taken from the Pratyabhijñā scriptures or from other texts, and the principal contribution of the author(s) of the TR consists in integrating these elements deriving from different sources into an original and consistent whole.

164  Philosophical and Theological Teachings After recounting the story of Aṣṭāvakra, Dattātreya develops the discourse of Janaka on the nirvikalpa samādhi, explaining that simply by excluding all mental constructs, one shall regard what remains – the pure Consciousness – as one’s own self. This immediate recognition, along with disregard for anything else, dissolves the ignorance that is the source of transmigration. Thus, liberation is not to be found in some remote place, it rather consists in the coming to light of one’s own pure essence, after excluding all mental constructs. Since it consists in one’s own essence, it is ever attained, and simply by removing bewilderment one can attain the highest goal.791 Once again, ideas previously expressed are reworded and expanded: the ever-attained Self (nāprāptaḥ, v. 19b) recalls the formulation in the discourse of Hemalekhā, where the Self was labelled as aprāpta (TR, jk, 9, 70a) and aprāpya (Ibidem, 70c), i.e. not attained and unattainable because of its being ever-attained; also the idea that one should not go a long way off to find liberation is found expressed in Hemalekhā’s words.792 Furthermore, Dattātreya stresses that, what is ever-attained, yet needs to be rediscovered, is none other than one’s own essence (svarūpa). Here the source of inspiration seems to be the statement in Abhinavagupta’s TĀ: “Truly liberation is none other than the unfolding of one’s own essence, where [this] essence is none other than the consciousness of [one’s own] self.”793 Dattātreya’s step forward, which brings his statements to their ultimate consequence, is the following assertion: From all eternity nobody has really been bound; abandon [this] error [pertaining] to the material self and reflect upon what this bondage is: this great bondage is simply the conviction of the reality of bondage. [123–124b] … Apart from the belief in the reality of bondage and the conviction of the existence of the mind, there is no bondage for anyone, anywhere. As long as this twofold impurity is not cleansed by the waters of good reflection, transmigration will not come to an end. [127c–129b]794 Ever since Somānanda, the first exponent of the Pratyabhijñā, the ultimate denial of the reality of both bondage and liberation results from the concept of the omnipresence and all-pervasiveness of Śiva, the divine Consciousness, considered to be the sole reality. Somānanda’s Sivadṛṣtị (ŚD) states: “There is neither bondage nor liberation for me. These two appear [only] because of the [innate] impurity.”795 It is notable that the text of the TR also makes use of the technical term mala (v. 128c). In non-dualist Śaivism, by mala, “impurity” or “maculation”, is often meant the āṇava mala,796 the “innate impurity” or “fundamental maculation”797 pertaining to the aṇu (“atom”), the limited being. As explained in the first chapter of Abhinavagupta’s TĀ ,798 by āṇava mala is meant ignorance, in the sense of the erroneous conception that mistakes the self for the non-self; such ignorance is thus a limited, incomplete (apūrṇa)

The Path towards Jı ̄vanmukti  165 knowledge, which conceals one’s own essential nature. This ignorance is the result of the contraction (saṅkoca) of the divine Consciousness; it is the Lord who conceals his own essence out of his sovereign freedom. In the text of the TR, the reader should not be misled by the locution dvayamala, because the twofold impurity refers here to the twofold erroneous conviction of the reality of the finite self and, consequently, of bondage, which amounts to basic ignorance as understood by Abhinavagupta. The influence of the ideas of Abhinavagupta is further proven by the fact that the TR also, in another passage of the same chapter, contains the statement that the manifestation of the knowable, of the world of duality, results from a contraction (saṅkoca) of the supreme Consciousness, so that by excluding the knowable, by removing the limitation, Consciousness recovers her fullness.799 The idea that true emancipation lies beyond the duality of bondage and liberation is also expressed in the VBT: There is neither bondage nor liberation for me. These (bondage and liberation) are only bogies for those who are terrified (on account of the ignorance of their essential nature). This (the universe) appears as a reflection in buddhi (the intellect) like the image of the sun in water.800 In their annotations on this verse, both Silburn and Singh explain that it is only the intellect (buddhi) that, because of its limitation, imagines the existence of bondage and liberation; by comprehending that it is only the divine Consciousness which, as a result of her freedom, appears as limited and bound, the fanciful concepts of bondage and liberation dissolve. The same idea is powerfully reasserted at the end of the jk, where Dattātreya concludes his teaching with these words: “There is no bondage, no liberation, no adept and no means of liberation. Tripurā alone shines as the non-dual Energy of Consciousness; she is ignorance and knowledge, bondage and liberation, and the means of liberation. [104c–105]”801 However, while this holds true sub specie absoluti, from the relative viewpoint of the limited individuals, the stories told by Dattātreya show examples of jı ̄vanmuktas who continue to take part in worldly life and follow manifold ways of living. Responding to the puzzlement of his disciple, who wonders how it is possible to reconcile the attainment of the unique liberating knowledge with the different behaviours of the jı ̄vanmuktas,802 Dattātreya explains the differences by establishing a hierarchy of sages.803 He defines three categories of sages based on the ways in which they are affected by the impressions deriving from their past and remaining unconsciously in their minds (vāsanā). These latent impressions, which are deemed to veil the light of consciousness, are distinguished according to whether they derive from mistakes (aparādha), from past actions (karman) or from desires (kāma). Accordingly, there are three means of removing these vāsanās, namely, ascertainment (niścaya), divine grace

166  Philosophical and Theological Teachings (prasāda) and detachment (vairāgya), respectively. As for the classification of the sages, those belonging to the highest rank, who are endowed with a multiform mind (bahumānasa), are free from the vāsanās deriving from their past acts; they immediately attain the liberating knowledge and become liberated while still alive (jı ̄vanmukta); unaffected by the vāsanās deriving from their desires, they continue to take part in ordinary life, still maintaining their equanimity. The sages of the second rank, for whom the vāsanās deriving from their past acts and from mistakes are minimal, while those deriving from desires are still influential, attain true knowledge through their meditative practice and by experiencing samādhi; they also become jı ̄vanmuktas but, being absorbed in their spiritual exercises, they do not act in the world; they are called those who have suppressed their mind (naṣtạ mānasa). The sages of the third rank, called those who are endowed with their mind (samanaska), are still affected by their past actions; they experience awareness of their own essence in samādhi, but they are not able to abide in this condition, so these temporary samādhis are not enough to grant the jı ̄vanmukti, and they attain final emancipation only after death.804 These classifications occur frequently in the Śaiva texts, where different criteria may have been adopted. What is noteworthy in the TR’s hierarchy is the fact that, although the (āṇava)māla had previously been mentioned in the text805 – in accordance with the importance attributed to this concept by the authors of the Pratyabhijñā806 – here the main cause of bondage seems to lie in the vāsanās. As the text puts it: “The aim of every means is the removal of the vāsanās.”807 In the definition of the highest rank of yogins found in the mk also, the disappearance of the vāsanās played a crucial part.808 This emphasis on the vāsanās provides a further instance of the possible influence of ideas deriving from the MU. Hanneder remarks that in the MU: “The crucial role of the vāsanās rests on the fact that they are the main factors that hold man in bondage. In order to attain liberation the ‘influx of vāsanās’ (vāsanāveśa) has to be checked.”809 Liberation therefore consists in the removal of the vāsanās,810 and since the mind itself consists of the totality of the vāsanās,811 for the liberated his mind vanishes. As it is stated: “O Rāma, when the mind becomes a no-mind [i.e. subsides], the error consisting of vāsanās vanishes, as the arrangement of pearls on a necklace when the thread is severed.”812 And yet, for the jı ̄vanmukta who continues to take part in worldly life, his mind purified from all vāsanās is said to become sattva.813 Although the importance attributed in the TR to latent impressions may derive from the MU, there is a basic difference between the respective models of jı ̄vanmukta: although the idea of the mind consisting of sattva is introduced to explain the paradoxical situation of the liberated still active in the world, the MU identifies final emancipation with the dissolution of the mind; conversely, in the TR the sages of the highest rank are constantly engaged in manifold activities, while being simultaneously engrossed in perfect absorption,814 so that they can be

The Path towards Jı ̄vanmukti  167 rightly defined as endowed with a multiform mind. Another difference between the two works concerns the means of removing the vāsanās. Whereas the MU emphasizes the role of human effort,815 in the TR divine grace is the chief means of removing the most bewildering of the vāsanās: those deriving from past acts.816 As was the case in other instances mentioned above of the influence of ideas from the MU, so here also the borrowed elements are incorporated in the text of the TR and adjusted to the relevant context, without prejudicing the general worldview of the work. Liberation results from the encounter between the adept’s ardent desire for emancipation and the gracious disposition of the Goddess in fulfilling this desire. It is stated that the first and foremost prerequisite for the adept is a passionate longing for liberation817; the more intense (tı ̄vra) this wish, the more rapid the attainment of the goal. Unlike the MU/YV, the most important means to liberating knowledge lies in divine grace; he who, with all his heart, joins the divine which abides in his own self, shall obtain this knowledge.818 In the final chapters of the jk, the issue of the adepts’ behaviour is taken up on several occasions, and this recurrence testifies to the practical scope of the soteriological teachings of the TR, which aim at indicating ways of salvation appropriate to different types of people. Urged by Paraśurāma, Dattātreya recapitulates his ranking of the sages, calling the attention of his disciple to the behaviour of the best among them: those who act by means of their body as if they were not agents and not embodied, and take part in the play of the world, while always resting upon their pure selves.819 It is difficult to recognize a sage by exterior marks because wisdom is an inner experience, beyond the domain of eyes and words. The sage alone, through introspection, can ascertain the marks of wisdom in himself.820 Moreover, since sages behave like ordinary men, only other sages can recognize them.821 The compatibility between attainment of liberation and participation in ordinary life is repeatedly emphasized in the text. Prince Hemāṅgada – who in the last of Dattātreya’s stories lectures a Brāhmanic demon – explains that for the best among the sages there is no difference between samādhi and ordinary life;822 these sages are like actors who, in interpreting different roles, and in showing joy or sorrow, remain indifferent on the inside.823 On the same issue in the MU/YV, Slaje remarks: “Living liberation is said to be perceivable only by the person concerned. It manifests itself to that person as an internal (antaḥ) unshakeable certainty (nis ć aya) without causing any change in external (bahiḥ) behaviour (samavyavahṛti).”824 There are no exterior marks by which a jı ̄vanmukta can be recognized by others because the behaviour of the liberated does not differ from that of ordinary people, the only difference lying in his inner detachment and composure. Liberation is a quality of the mind, not of the body.825 The words of Dattātreya on this subject completely accord with these views.

168  Philosophical and Theological Teachings

The Secret Doctrine of Tripurā In the jk the doctrinal teachings are imparted either by Dattātreya or by his alter egos represented by some of the characters in his stories. The penultimate of these stories826 presents instead a typical mythic situation, recalling the atmosphere of the mk: a group of ṛṣi s engaged in debate are unable to find a solution to their doubts; encouraged by the three great gods, they decide to consult the Goddess. They praise and question her with these words: Homage to you, o Great Mistress, Srı̄vidyā, Lady Tripurā! [22cd] Homage to you who begets, founds and dissolves everything in your own self, you the Supreme Lady of all. [23] You are eternal, hence there is neither birth nor old age for you who are ever young. [24] You are everything, the essence of everything, omniscient, gladdening all [beings], and you are the opposite of all this. [25] Homage to you again o Goddess, [from us who are] in front of you and also behind you, below, above, at your sides, everywhere, homage, homage to you! [26] Please tell [us] which is your form, [supreme and] non-supreme, [your] sovereignty and [your] knowledge, [which is] the fruit and the main means [to obtain] it, and [which is] the perfect adept, [27] [which is] the highest summit of perfection and who is the best among the perfect. O Goddess, please answer these [questions] in due order. Homage, homage to you again! [28]827 Duly eulogized and propitiated, Tripurā answers their questions, revealing her secret doctrine. In such a way the text provides a final recapitulation of its principal tenets uttered by the Goddess herself. Describing the jı ̄vanmukta, she says that the best among the perfect is he who, even in the middle of the activities of ordinary life, never abandons his state of absorption in the self.828 He recognizes that all the joy, sorrow and activities of the world belong to his own self; he considers himself as bound and liberated at the same time; he sees the universal Self in his own self; seeing distinctly that the snares of universal bondage are set within his own self, he does not even expect liberation. Hence – states the Goddess – there is no difference between the best among the perfect and herself.829 Finally, disclosing the ultimate truth about bondage and liberation, the Goddess says: “Ignoring myself because of my own māyā, I am transmigrating for a long time; by becoming the disciple of a spiritual teacher I recognize myself again. [46] Though liberated from eternity I free myself again and again. [47]”830 It is thus the Goddess alone who is the embodiment of the supreme Consciousness, whose nature is the Subject in its fullness, who, being omnipresent, multiplies herself in many individual subjects;831 since it is She who freely takes the forms of the bound or liberated souls, nobody is ever truly bound or liberated. From the Śaiva perspective, the same is said of Śiva in the TĀ :

The Path towards Jı ̄vanmukti  169 God, whose nature is the free Consciousness, whose essence is light, spontaneously conceals his nature according to his play, multiplying in the limited individual souls. [103] Out of his freedom, he voluntary binds his own self here by actions made of imaginary mental ­constructs – as was explained. [104] This freedom of God is so powerful that, though [assuming the form] of limited individual souls, he takes hold again of his own nature in all its purity. [105]832

Conclusion What then are the original traits of the soteriology of the TR, compared to the sources to which the work is indebted? The quoted authors of the Pratyabhijñā formulate their ideas in a systematic manner within their works, discussing the views of opponents belonging to different schools of thought, refuting their arguments, and countering their criticisms. The philosophical and soteriological teachings of the TR are instead conveyed through a dialogical form where – as Hulin observes833 – the doubts, difficulties and objections raised by Paraśurāma and by his alter egos are precisely those that would occur spontaneously to any listener; in such a way the views illustrated by the teachers through their philosophical or allegorical tales are continuously expanded and enriched thanks to the remarks of their disciples. Moreover, unlike the majority of the Śākta and Śaiva Tantric texts composed in the form of a dialogue, where the interlocutors are generally Śiva and the Goddess, in the TR the dialogists are human characters; this choice of interlocutors enhances the dramatic flavour of the dialogues, where the exchange of questions and answers is not simply a formal artifice, but results in a true, lively conversation. As for the suggested similarities between the TR and the MU/YV, the ideal of liberation while still alive and active in the world, propounded by both works, seems to be much more consistent with the realistic idealism which the TR shares with the Pratyabhijñā, than with the illusionism and acosmism of the MU/YV. As Padoux explained, evoking the soteriological consequences of this realistic idealism: “Here is an essential conception of non-dualist Śaivism, according to which the universe is made of consciousness. It is not unreal, as it was according to Śaṅkarian Vedānta.” – and here one might add, according to the MU/YV as well – “It is this reality of consciousness pertaining to the whole creation that the adept will realize as being reflected in his own self, insofar as this is not different from the divine Self. Thus, identified with the divine, he will take part in the flashing superabundance of divine cosmic play.”834 Therefore, the ideal of the author(s) of the TR is the jı ̄vanmukta’s conscious participation in ordinary life, in a world which appears to him in all its ontological substance as reflected in the mirror of his own self, as in the mirror of divine Consciousness. Indeed, the analogy of the mirror,

170  Philosophical and Theological Teachings which recurs so frequently in the text of the TR, would seem to provide an appropriate metaphor with which to represent the encounter with the Goddess, with the all-pervading divine Energy, as a mirroring, i.e. as an act of self-recognition.

Notes 686 For more details, see Synopsis, Chapters 4–6. 687 For a summary of the frame story of the MU, see Hanneder, Slaje (eds.) 2002: 22–23 and Hanneder 2006: 5–6; for the YV, see Hulin (ed.) 1987: 8–9. 688 See Hanneder 2006: X–XI. Statements asserting the didactic function of stories (ākhyāna) and allegories (dṣtạ n̄ ta) are quoted from both the MU and the YV in Slaje 2000: 185, note 21. 689 See Hanneder 2006: 28 and 158. 690 TR, mk, 4, 51–52: tasmāt svamārgasaṃ sthānaṃ jñātvā tatra viraktadhı ̄ḥ | gurū­ padiṣtạ mārgeṇa svātmaśaktiṃ mahesv́ arı ̄m || 51 || tripurāṃ samyag ārādhya tatkpāleśam āsŕ itaḥ | upalabhya svātmabhāvaṃ sarvasāmyās ́rayātmakam || 52 ||. 691 See Slaje 2000: 172. 692 See Ibidem: 175 (with notes 38 and 39) and 182. 693 See Ibidem: 178 and 183. 694 TR, mk, 4, 53–58: itarattac chaktimayam ābhāsaikarasasthitim | jñātvā sarvaṃ   svātmamayaṃ s ́akticakrātmanaḥ parām || 53 || jagadgurusamāpattiṃ prāpya nirbhayasaṃ s ́ayaḥ | jāmadagnya yathecchaṃ tvaṃ carāham iva niścalaḥ || 54 || svātmānaṃ sarvabhāvasthaṃ svātmasthaṃ sarvabhāvakam | piṇdạ h̄ aṃ bhāvam unmūlya vettbhāvāsanasthitaḥ || 55 || vedyaṃ svadehaṃ saṃ buddhya sadā vettrabhilakṣakaḥ | yaś caret tasya no kār yaṃ vidyate saṃ steḥ pathi || 56 || doṣaṃ vibhāvayed ādau bhūyaḥ saṃ stivartmani | tena tatrās ́u vairāgyaṃ tatas sanmārgalakṣaṇam || 57 || etan mayoktaṃ saṃ kṣepātsāraṃ martyaḥ sadābhyasan | acireṇaiva saṃ yāti śubhaṃ mārgaṃ parātparam || 58 ||. 695 See also TR, mk, 9, 94: After having understood that the Subject who sees, which has the form of one’s own self, [which is] identical to the power of Consciousness, is different from the visible body and so forth, you deserve to know her (i.e. the Goddess). [94] taṃ draṣtạ r̄ aṃ svātmarūpaṃ citisá ktisvarūpiṇam | dsý adehādito bhinnaṃ matvā tāṃ jñātum arhasi || 94 ||. This statement may be compared with a similar formulation in the YV: “When the mind knows the truth, then, having abandoned [even] the truthful conception of the body, it attains the highest emancipation.” [YV, 4, 10, 50: ālokayati cet satyaṃ tadā satyamayı ̄ṃ manaḥ | sá rı ̄rabhāvanāṃ tyaktvā parām āyāti nirvtim || 50 || Paṇsı́ k̄ ar (ed.) 1937, Part I: 432]. 696 PS, 39: yad anātmany api tadrūpāvabhāsanaṃ tat purā nirāktya | ātmany anātmarūpāṃ bhrāntiṃ vidalayati paramātmā || 39 || [Bansat-Boudon (ed.) 2011: 376, Eng. trans. by Bansat-Boudon and Tripathi in Ibidem: 191]. See Yogarāja’s commentary and the related notes in Ibidem: 191–192. See also Silburn (ed.) 1979: 77. 697 PS, 40: itthaṃ vibhramayugalakasamūlavicchedane ktārthasya | kartavyāntarakalanā na jātu parayogino bhavati || 40 || [Bansat-Boudon (ed.) 2011: 377, Eng. trans. in Ibidem: 193]. For Yogarāja’s commentary and notes, see Ibidem: 193–194. See also Silburn (ed.) 1979: 77. 698 BhG, 4, 29: “He who is absorbed in yoga looks on all things with equal eye, he sees his own self abiding in all beings and all beings in his own self.” sarvabhūtastham ātmānaṃ sarvabhūtāni cātmani | ı ̄kṣate yogayuktātmā sarvatra samadarśanaḥ || 29 ||.

The Path towards Jı ̄vanmukti  171 699 PS, 61: bhinnājñānagranthir gatasaṃ dehaḥ parāktabhrāntiḥ | prakṣı ̄ṇapūṇyapāpo vigrahayoge’py asau muktaḥ || 61 || [Bansat-Boudon (ed.) 2011: 385, Eng. trans. in Ibidem: 231]. See also Silburn (ed.) 1979: 84. 700 For Yogarāja’s commentary and notes, see Bansat-Boudon (ed.) 2011: 231–232. 701 TR, mk, 6, 71–73b: sa evātmā tu sarveṣam ̄ ̣ lokānāṃ nityasatprabhaḥ | abhāta iva bhāto’pi sadā mohena manyate || 71 || tasmāt tatpratyabhijñānān mohanāsé sati drutam | antarbahiḥ sarvataś ca gaṅgāntardvı ̄pago yathā || 72 || śı ̄talaṃ bhāvam abhyeti nānyathā yatnakoṭibhiḥ | 73ab. ̄ 702 IPK, I.1.3: kiṃ tu mohavaśād asmin dṣtẹ ’py anupalakṣı ̄te | śaktyāviṣkaraṇeneyaṃ pratyabhijñopadarśyate || 3 || [Torella (ed.) 2013: 3, Eng. trans. in Ibidem: 86]. 703 See Ibidem: 87, note 11. 704 See Slaje 2000: 178. 705 This locution is borrowed from Hanneder, see above note 689. 706 TR, mk, 30, 22–23: nirudhyāntaraṅgaṃ vilayayākṣasaṅghaṃ parityajya sarvatra kāmādibhāvam | sthitānāṃ mahāyogināṃ cittabhūmau cidānandarūpā tvam ekā vibhāsi || 22 || tathānye manaḥ sendriyaṃ sañcarac cāpy asaṃ yamya tanmārgake jāgarukāḥ | svasamvitsudhādarśadehe sphurantaṃ mahāyogināthāḥ prapaśyanti sarvam || 23 ||. 707 Here kalā should be understood as the Goddess’s supreme Energy. See the relevant entry in TAK II 2004: 72, 8. 708 TR, mk, 51, 71c–73: kṣaṇam api jagadamba tvatkalāṃ cinmayı̄ṃ ye nijahdi vimśantaḥ saṃsthitās te hi dhanyāḥ || 71cd || vigataviṣayatṣṇāvāsane svāntaraṅge vimalamukuratulye niścale svātmanaiva | tava janani kalāṃ tāṃ *goginaḥ (em. yoginaḥ) prekṣamānāḥ paramasukhapadasthās te hi dhanyā jayanti || 72 || iti ciratarakālaṃ tvatsvarūpaṃ vimśyāntarabhuvi dḍhabhāvāḥ syur nisargasvabhāvāḥ | tadanu bahir aśeṣaṃ tvatsvarūpaṃ mśantaḥ tvayi paramavilāsās te hi yogı̄ndrapūjyāḥ || 73 ||. 709 TR, mk, 30, 24–27: nirukte mahāsāramārge’tisūkṣme gatiṃ ye na vindanti mūḍhasvabhāvāḥ | janān tān samuddhartum akṣāvagamyaṃ bahiḥ sthūlarūpaṃ vibhinnaṃ bibharṣi || 24 || tadārādhane’nekamārgān vicitrān vidhāyātha mārgeṇa kenāpi yāntam | nadı̄vāri sindhur yathā svı̄karoti pradāya svabhāvaṃ svātmı̄karoṣi || 25 || tathā tāsu mūr tiṣv anekāsu mukhyā dhanurbāṇapāśāṅkuśāḍhyaiva mūr tiḥ | śarı̄reṣu mūrdheva ye tāṃ bhajeyur janās traipurı̄ṃ mūr tim atyuttamāste || 26 || janān duḥkhasindhoḥ samuddhartukāmā *pathas (em. pathān) tān anekān pradiśya prakṣṭān | dayārdrasvabhāveti vikhyātakı̄r tis tvam ekaiva pūjyā parāśaktirūpā || 27 ||. 710 Besides the pertinent statements contained in the descriptions of the outward appearance of Tripurā discussed in Part I, Chapter 2, see also the following: The Śakti, excellent among all, mother of all, Tripurā, support of the Word, has appeared in many forms on account of compassion for [her] devotees. [32] Her divine image is the best one everywhere, her doctrine is regarded as the supreme one, listen, o lord of the sages, she alone, the Lady of all, is to be worshipped by all. [33] (TR, mk, 2, 32–33: anekarūpā sā śaktir jātā bhaktakpāvaśāt | sarvaśreṣtḥ ā sarvamātā tripurā vāksamās ́rayā || 32 || tanmūrtiḥ sarvatotkṣtạ ̄ tatsiddhāntaḥ paro mataḥ | saiva sarveśvarı ̄sarvapūjyā śṇu munı ̄śvara || 33 ||), and: “Without name, form, and activity, your only form being nothing but Consciousness, yet you [take] form, name, and activity to [bestow] grace upon beings. [57]” (Ibidem, 9, 57: nāmāktikriyāhı ̄nā saṃ vinmātraikarūpiṇı ̄ | anugrahāya lokānāṃ rūpaṃ nāma kriyāpi te || 57 ||). 711 See Synopsis, Chapter 80. 712 See TR, mk, 80, 113cd: māhātmyaśravaṇam loke mokṣadvāram idam smtam.

172  Philosophical and Theological Teachings 713 See Part I, Chapter 1. 714 See TR, jk, 1, 41c–42b, 46: kartavyaśeṣe no duḥkhanāśo vā sukham eva vā || 41cd || kartavyataiva duḥkhānāṃ paramaṃ duḥkham ucyate | 42ab. … sukhinas te hi lokeṣu ye’kartavyatayā sthitāḥ | pūr ṇaśayā mahātmānaḥ sarvadehasuśı̄talāḥ || 46 ||. 715 See TR, jk, 2, 25–26b: lakṣito me sa bhagavān saṃ vartaḥ sarvası́ ̄talaḥ | kartavyaleśaviṣamaviṣajvālāvinirgataḥ || 25 || hasann iva lokatantram abhayaṃ mārgam ās ́ritaḥ | 26ab. 716 All this is recorded in TR, jk, 1–2. See Fr. trans. in Hulin (ed.) 1979: 30–38. 717 See TR, mk, 4, 56cd: … no kār yam vidyate … quoted above, and PS, 40: … kartavyāntarakalanā na jātu … quoted above. 718 See TR, jk, 2, 25b: saṃ vartaḥ sarvaśı ̄talaḥ. 719 See TR, jk, 2, 26cd: vane dāvāgnisaṅkı ̄rṇe himāmbusthagajopamaḥ || 26cd ||. 720 See śı ̄talam bhāvam in TR, mk, 6, 72c–73b, quoted above. 721 See TR, jk, 2, 74c: vicāraḥ śreyaso mūlam. 722 TR, jk, 3, 7c: sadbhiḥ saṅgaḥ. 723 See Slaje 2000: 174. On the importance of vicāra and sādhusaṃ gama in the Utpatti Prakaraṇa of the MU, see also Hanneder 2006: 79. 724 See TR, jk, 3–10 and Fr. trans. in Hulin (ed.) 1979: 43–98. This is the first of the main stories contained in the jk. These include several sub-stories related by their characters, in accordance with the framing device typical of classical narrative literature. 725 See TR, jk, 4, 21cd: vāñchaiva duḥkhaviṭapibı ̄jaṃ sudḍhaśaktikam || 21cd ||. 726 Nirveda in TR, jk, 4, 93a. See also TR, mk, 4, 57, in the discourse of Saṃ varta quoted above. 727 Vairāgya in TR, jk, 4, 93b. See also TR, mk, 4, 51b, in the discourse of Saṃ varta quoted above. 728 Sunirveda in TR, jk, 5, 26c. 729 Interestingly, the story of Hemalekhā and Hemacūḍa seems to be concluded at the end of Chapter 4, but is taken up again in Chapter 5. Hulin suggests that this might indicate an addition to an earlier version of the work, where Chapters 5–10 did not appear (see Hulin 1979: 221, note 21). 730 See TR, jk, 7, 6c–7, 17: sattarkam āsritya jana prāpnuyāt suphalaṃ drutam || 6cd || sattarkasaṃ s ŕ ayeṇāśu sādhanaikaparo bhavet | sattarkajanitāṃ s ŕ addhāṃ prāpyeha phalabhāg naraḥ || 7 || … ataḥ pauruṣam āsritya śraddhāsattarkapoṣitam | s ŕ eyasāṃ yanmukhyatamaṃ sādhanam tat samāśrayet || 17 ||. See Fr. trans. in Hulin (ed.) 1979: 73–74. 731 See Slaje 2000: 186, note 33 and Hanneder 2006: 122. 732 This has already been remarked in Hulin (ed.) 1979: 222, note 27. 733 On the semantic richness of the term vikalpa, which is difficult to translate, see Silburn’s remarks in Silburn, Padoux (eds.) 1998: 82–83, note 13. 734 See TĀ , IV, 13–16, in M. K. Shāstri (ed.) 1921, vol. III: 12–16. See also Fr. trans. by Silburn in Silburn, Padoux (eds.) 1998: 209–210, and Padoux’s relevant remarks in Ibidem: 56–57. 735 Prasāda in TR, jk, 7, 32c. 736 Svātantrya in Ibidem, 59d. 737 “C’est par la faveur de la grâce suprême du Seigneur que les sujets conscients dignes de la connaissance la plus haute peuvent parvenir en cette vie à la délivrance en s’absorbant dans l’énergie divine.” [Silburn, Padoux (eds.) 1998: 44]. 738 “Formulation plus dynamique, qui souligne la nature inopinée, imprévisible parce qu’essentiellement libre et gratuite, de la grâce.” (Ibidem). 739 To quote just some of its occurrences, prasāda is mentioned in the description of the dı ̄kṣa ̄ of Sumedha Hāritāyana (TR, mk, 1, 48), in the VII Hymn in praise of Tripurā (Ibidem, 51, 67d), and in the present context (see note 735).

The Path towards Jı ̄vanmukti  173 740 See TR, mk, 2, 30: “Creation, maintenance [and] destruction of the universe, concealing and grace, [all this] is always done for us by she who is the supreme One. [30]” sṣtị ḥ sthitiḥ saṃ htiś ca tirodhānam anugrahaḥ | kriyate sarvadāsmāsu sthitayā parayā yayā || 30 ||. See also TR, mk, 8, 26, in the III Hymn in praise of Tripurā. 741 See TR, jk, 21, 7ab: jñānasya sādhanaṃ mukhyaṃ devatānugrahaḥ paraḥ | 7ab. 742 See TR, jk, 15, 22: etad eva hi tacchaktipāto yat sadvimarśanam | bhagavacchactipātena vinā kaḥ śreya āpnuyāt || 22 ||. 743 See TR, jk, 8, 24–25b: anyathā naiva viṣayavairasyaṃ pasý ati kvacit | etal lakṣaṇam ı ̄s ́asyānugrahe jñeyam āditaḥ || 24 || bhogavairasyam aparaṃ vicārapravaṇaṃ manaḥ | 25ab. See Fr. trans. in Hulin (ed.) 1979: 83. 744 See MU, 2, 11, 23cd: uttamavairāgyaṃ vivekād eva jāyate (quoted in Slaje 2000: 186, note 38). See also further quotations in Ibidem. For a discussion on the relationship between vicāra/viveka and vairāgya, see Ibidem: 175 and 181–183. 745 Hanneder 2006: 144, note 69. 746 See TR, jk, 9, 9cd: bhāntaṃ sarvatra sarvasya sarvadā mānavarjitam || 9cd ||. 747 See Ibidem, 14: gatvaikānte vivicyaitad yad yad bhāti mamatvataḥ | tat tat parityajya paraṃ svātmānam abhilakṣaya || 14 ||. See Fr. trans. in Hulin (ed.) 1979: 86. 748 Aprāpta in TR, jk, 9, 70a. 749 Aprāpya in Ibidem, 70c. 750 See Ibidem, 82ab: gatvā dūraṃ na tat prāpyaṃ sthitvā prāptaṃ hi sarvadā | 82ab. 751 PS, 60: mokṣasya naiva kiṃ cid dhāmāsti na cāpi gamanam anyatra | ajñānagranthibhidā svaśaktyabhivyaktatā mokṣaḥ || 60 || [Bansat-Boudon (ed.) 2011: 384, Eng. trans. by Bansat-Boudon and Tripathi in Ibidem: 227]. See also Silburn (ed.) 1979: 83–84. 752 tasmān muktau nūtanaṃ na kiṃ cit sādhyate nijam eva svarūpaṃ prathate | [BansatBoudon (ed.) 2011: 385, Eng. trans. in Ibidem: 230]. 753 See TR, jk, 9, 82cd: na tadvicār ya vijñeyam avicārād vibhāsate || 82 ||. 754 See also the following statement contained in a eulogy of Tripurā: “She can never be known by reasoning (tarka) or by any device (yukti); by the recognition of the ‘I-ness’ (asmi) and nowhere else she is attained.” TR, mk, 7, 9c–10b: na tarkeṇa yuktyā vā jñātuṃ yogyā kadācana || 9cd || asmı ̄ty avagamād anyan nopalabhyate kutracit | 10ab. 755 TR, jk, 9, 86c–88: nātha sūkṣmadśa ̄ paśya jñānajñeyātmakaṃ jagat || 86cd || tatra jñānaṃ svataḥ siddhaṃ tadabhāve na kiñcana | pramāṇan̄ āṃ pramāṇaṃ tad apramāṇaṃ svato bhavet || 87 || yataḥ pramāṇan̄ apekṣam ādisiddham atas tu tat | siddhisādhakabhāvena tatsiddhiḥ kadācana || 88 ||. ̄ 756 IPK, I.1.2: kartari jñātari svātmany ādisiddhe maheśvare | ajaḍat̄ mā niṣedhaṃ vā siddhiṃ vā vidadhı ̄ta kaḥ || 2 || [Torella (ed.) 2013: 2, Eng. trans. in Ibidem: 85]. 757 See TR, mk, 6, 71–72b, quoted above. ̄ 758 See IPK, I.1.3, quoted above. 759 TR, jk, 9, 94–95b: nidrājāgranmadhyabhāge saṃ vidbhedāntare tathā | madhye saṃ vidvedyayoś ca sūkṣmabuddhyābhilakṣaya || 94 || etat padaṃ nijaṃ rūpaṃ yat prāpya na vimuhyati | 95ab. 760 VBT, 75: anāgatāyāṃ nidrāyāṃ praṇaṣtẹ bāhyagocare | sāvasthā manasā gamyā parā devı ̄ prakās ́ate || 75 || [Singh (ed.) 1979: 70, Eng. trans. in Ibidem: 71]. 761 “Une détente vigilante, favorable à l’intériorisation.” Silburn (ed.) 1976: 116. For Fr. trans. and explanation of this verse of the VBT, see Ibidem: 116–117. 762 SK, 17: tasyopalabdhiḥ satataṃ tripadāvyabhicāriṇı ̄ | nityaṃ syāt suprabuddhasya tadādyante parasya tu || 17 || [Singh (ed.) 1980: 86, Eng. trans. in Ibidem]. 763 See Ibidem: 87–89. 764 VBT, 61: ubhayor bhāvayor jñāne jñātvā madhyaṃ samāsŕ ayet | yugapac ca dvayaṃ tyaktvā madhye tattvaṃ prakās ́ate || 61 || [Singh (ed.) 1979: 57, Eng. trans. in Ibidem: 58; see also the explanatory notes in Ibidem]. 765 See Silburn (ed.) 1976: 104. For Fr. trans. and explanation of this verse, see Ibidem.

174  Philosophical and Theological Teachings 766 VBT, 62: bhāve tyakte niruddhā cin naiva bhāvāntaraṃ vrajet | tadā tanmadhyabhāvena vikasaty ati bhāvanā || 62 || [Singh (ed.) 1979: 59, Eng. trans. in Ibidem; see also the explanatory notes in Ibidem: 59–60]. 767 “Atteindre le vide interstitiel qui réside toujours entre deux états de conscience.” Silburn (ed.) 1976: 105. For Fr. trans. and explanation of VBT, 62, see Ibidem: 105–106. 768 See TR, jk, 10, 27, 28c–29b: granthirūpaṃ samāpannaṃ puruṣaḥ pās ́itas tataḥ | tadgranthivisraṃ sanato bandhān muktiḥ samı ̄ritā || 27 || … tatpadaṃ nijarūpaṃ te śuddhasaṃ vidanuttaram || 28cd || tadevākhilasaṃ sāracitrādarśatalaṃ mahat | 29ab. See Fr. trans. in Hulin (ed.) 1979: 95. This analogy of the mirror anticipates the ideas deriving from the ābhāsavāda elaborated from Chapter 11 of the jk, and discussed in Part II, Chapter 2. 769 See TR, jk, 10, 35cd: na te kartavyasaṃ s ́eṣo vijñāya paramaṃ padam || 35cd ||. The same idea is expressed in Saṃ varta’s discourse (TR, mk, 4, 56cd) quoted above, and in PS, 40, quoted above. 770 See TR, jk, 10, 37–38: paśya sarvatra cātmānam akhaṇḍan̄ andabṃ hitam | paśyātmany akhilaṃ lokaṃ darpapratibimbavat || 37 || sarvatrākhilam ātmānam iti bhūyo na bhāvayan | s ́eṣam abhyupagamyāntaḥ svastho bhava nijātmanā || 38 ||. See Fr. trans. in Hulin (ed.) 1979: 96. 771 See TR, jk, 10, 44c–45: sukhe na hṣyat yat yan taṃ duḥkhe nodvijate tathā || 44cd || lābhālābhau śatrumitre sāmyāt paśyati vai kutaḥ | karoti rājakār yāṇi naṭavad raṅgamaṇḍale || 45 ||. See Fr. trans. in Hulin (ed.) 1979: 96. 772 The story of Cūdạ l̄ ā is found in the Nirvānạ Prakaraṇa of the YV (YV, 6, 77–110). See Fr trans. in Hulin 1987: 135–188. 773 See Hulin’s relevant remarks on Hemalekhā in Hulin (ed.) 1979: 49, and on Cūḍālā in Hulin (ed.) 1987: 141–142 and note 1. 774 TR, mk, 4, 54cd, quoted above. 775 YV, 6 (Nirvāṇaprakaraṇa, pūr vārdha), 110, 29: vigatabhayaviṣad̄ o māna-­ m­at̄ saryamuktaḥ praktasahajakarmā bhuktanı ̄rāgabuddhiḥ | iti samasamadṣtị r mtyum ār yo’tha jitvā daśaśis ́irasahasrāṇy ekarājyaṃ cakāra || 29 || [Paṇsı́ k̄ ar (ed.) Part II 1937: 1030]. 776 Hanneder 2006: 131; on the kṣatriya context of the MU, see also Ibidem: 131–136. 777 See TR, jk, 16–17 and 21–22. 778 On this subject, see Hanneder 2006: 143–144. 779 This is the story of Aṣtạ ̄vakra, the female ascetic, and king Janaka, found in TR, jk, 15–17. See Fr. trans. in Hulin (ed.) 1979: 133–158. 780 Nāparokṣaka in TR, jk, 15, 68b. 781 See TR, jk, 15, 94–98b: yāvad dṣtị ḥ pravttiṃ tu na parityajya tiṣtḥ ati | tāvad antardṣtị tāpi na syād eva kathañcana || 94 || yāvan nāntardṣtị m eti tāvat tāṃ na prapaśyati | antardṣtị r nirı ̄hā syāt sehāyāḥ sā kathaṃ bhavet || 95 || parihtya tu tāṃ samyak svabhāvam upasaṃ s ́raya | kṣaṇaṃ svaṃ bhāvam ās ́ritya nirvimarsá s tataḥ param || 96 || vims ́ya smaraṇadvārā tato vetsi samastakam | asaṃ vedyaṃ suvedyaṃ ca tad evaṃ tattvam ucyate || 97 || viditvaivam avedyaṃ ca prāpnuyād amtāṃ sthitim | 98b. See Fr. trans. in Hulin (ed.) 1979: 140. 782 See TR, jk, 16, 9a: vidyām avedyam. 783 See TR, jk, 16, 10cd: nāvedyaṃ sarvathā tadd hı ̄ vedyaṃ cāpi na sarvathā || 10cd ||. 784 See Ibidem, 13c–14b: anirūpyaṃ kevalaṃ tad avedyam api sarvathā || 13cd || kathañcidanyarūpeṇa nirūpyaṃ vedyam apyuta | 14ab. See Fr. trans. in Hulin (ed.) 1979: 142. 785 See Ibidem, 21–22b: evaṃ vittir iyaṃ vedyā vedyavyāvttarūpataḥ | na tu svabhāvato vedyā sā vittir vis ́vasaṃ as ́rayā || 21 || yata etad vedituḥ syād rūpaṃ tasmān na vedyate | 22ab. See Fr. trans. in Hulin (ed.) 1979: 142. 786 See Ibidem, 44–45b: eva citiḥ sarvagatā sarvās ́rayatayā sthitā | sarvakāle samāpūrṇa ̄ manasi vyomavad dvija || 44 || tasmād anyaparāvttimātra manasa iṣyate | 45ab.

The Path towards Jı ̄vanmukti  175

See also Ibidem, 46cd: tasmāc cidātmāvabhāse manaso’nyaparāvtiḥ || 46cd ||. See Fr. trans. in Hulin (ed.) 1979: 144. 787 Nirvikalpa prakās ́anibiḍa in TR, jk, 16, 81bc. 788 Parokṣap̄ arokṣa in TR, jk, 17, 35c. 789 See TR, jk, 17, 37c–38: aparokṣaṃ hi vijñānaṃ samādhiparipākajam || 37cd || saprapañcājñānanās ́akṣamaṃ śubhaphalāvaham | samādhir jñānapūr vas tu vijñānaṃ janayet khalu || 38 ||. See Fr. trans. in Hulin (ed.) 1979: 152. 790 See Ibidem, 70a: so’dvaitātmāhamasmı ̄ti. 791 See TR, jk, 18, 16–19: tasmāt saṅkalpamātrasya varjanāt parataḥ sthitam | śeṣaṃ s ́uddhacite rūpaṃ svātmānam upalakṣaya || 16 || evaṃ sakllakṣite tu yat sthitaṃ tadalakṣaṇat̄ | ajñānaṃ sarvasaṃ sārakāraṇaṃ tad vilı ̄yate || 17 || na mokṣo nabhasaḥ pṣtḥ e na pātāle na bhūtale | saṅkalpavarjanāc chuddhasvarūpasya prathaiva saḥ || 18 || sa svarūpātmakatvāt tu nāprāptaḥ syāt kadācana | kevalaṃ mohamātrasya nirāsena ktārthatā || 19 ||. See Fr. trans. in Hulin (ed.) 1979: 160. 792 See TR, jk, 9, 82ab, quoted above. 793 TĀ , I, 156: mokṣo hi nāma naivānyaḥ svarūpaprathanaṃ hi saḥ | svarūpaṃ cātmanaḥ saṃ vin nānyat tatra tu yāḥ punaḥ || 156 || [M. K. Shāstri (ed.) 1918, vol. I: 192]. 794 TR, jk, 18, 123–124b, 127c–129b: anādikālād rāmātra bandho nāsty eva kasyacit | jaḍat̄ mabhrāntim utsja ko’yaṃ bandho vicāraya || 123 || eṣa eva mahābandho bandhasatyatvaniścayaḥ | 124b … bandhasya satyatābuddhir manaso’stitvaniścayaḥ || 127cd || etad dvayamte nāsti bandhaḥ kasyāpi kutracit | yāvad etad dvayamalaṃ sadvicāramahājalaiḥ || 128 || nonmārjitaṃ tāvad iha tasya saṃ sāranās ́ane || 129ab ||. 795 ŚD, VII, 87cd: na me bandho na me mokṣas tau malatvena saṃ sthitau || 87cd || [M. K. Shāstri (ed.) 1934: 217]. 796 See the relevant entry in TAK I 2000: 182, 2. 797 For the rendition of āṇava mala as “fundamental maculation” in the translation ̄ of IPK, III.2.4, see Torella (ed.) 2013: 198 and note 7. 798 See TĀ , I, 23–38, in M. K. Shāstri (ed.) 1918, vol. I: 54–77. See Fr. trans. by Silburn and the related explanations taken from Jayaratha’s commentary in Silburn, Padoux (eds.) 1998: 82–86. 799 See TR, jk, 18, 28c–29: cetyavarjanamātreṇa citiḥ pūrṇa ̄ prakı ̄rtitā || 28cd || cetyābhāsanam evāsyās ́ citeḥ saṅkocanaṃ bhavet | cetyābhāne citiḥ pūrṇa ̄ paricchedavivarjanāt || 29 ||. See Fr. trans. in Hulin (ed.) 1979: 161. 800 VBT, 135: na me bandho na mokṣo me bhı̄tasyaitā vibhı̄ṣikāḥ | pratibimbam idaṃ buddher jaleṣv iva vivasvataḥ || 135 || [Singh (ed.) 1979: 124, Eng. trans. in Ibidem]. Following Lakṣmaṇa Joo, Singh suggests that jı̄vasya would be a better reading than bhı̄tasya, because the illusion of bondage and liberation concerns every limited individual soul (jı̄va). See the explanatory notes in Ibidem: 124–125. For the Fr. trans. and explanation of this verse, see also Silburn (ed.) 1976: 159. 801 TR, jk, 22, 104c–105: na bandho’sti na mokṣo’sti sādhakaḥ sādhanaṃ ca na || 104cd || akhaṇḍad̄ vayacicchaktis tripuraivāvabhāsinı ̄ | saivāvidyā ca vidyā ca bandho mokṣas ́ ca sādhanam || 105 ||. 802 Paraśurāma raises this problem on several occasions: at the beginning of Chapter 15, at the end of Chapter 18 and at the beginning of Chapter 19. 803 In the mk too there is a ranking of yogins/devotees who, according to their respective stages of spiritual maturity, deserve to contemplate the Goddess in increasing subtle forms. See TR, mk, 30, 22–27, quoted above. 804 For a detailed exposition of the hierarchy of the sages, see the Fr. trans. of Chapter 19 in Hulin (ed.) 1979: 175–185. 805 See TR, jk, 18, 127c–129b, quoted above. ̄ 806 In his IPK, Utpaladeva provides a classification of the subjects based on the influence of the three different kinds of maculations (āṇava-, māyā- and karmā māla). For the definitions of the three kinds of maculations, see IPK, III.2.4–6; for the description of the different categories of subjects, see Ibidem, 7–10, in

176  Philosophical and Theological Teachings Torella (ed.) 2013: 66–69, Eng. trans. with explanatory notes by Torella in Ibidem: 198–202. 807 TR, jk, 19, 31ab: ataḥ sarvasādhanasya vāsanānās ́anaṃ phalam | 31ab. 808 See TR, mk, 51, 72, quoted above. 809 Hanneder 2006: 216. See MU, 4, 15, 36cd: vāsanāmātrabhedo’tra kāraṇam bandhamokṣayoḥ, quoted in Ibidem, note 190. 810 See Ibidem: 218 and MU, 6, 55, 65: bandhasya vāsanāvattvaṃ mokṣaḥ syād vāsanākṣayaḥ, quoted in Ibidem, note 200. 811 See MU, 2, 9, 17: vāsanā manaso nānyā, quoted in Ibidem, 216, note 189. 812 MU, 6, 4, 8: acittatvaṃ gate citte kṣı ̄yate vāsanābhramaḥ | hāramuktāsamāveśaś chinne tantāv ivānagha || (Eng. trans. by Hanneder, quoted in Ibidem, 217). 813 See Ibidem, 218–219. 814 See TR, jk, 19, 121: uttamajñāninaś caite daśe yugapad āsthite | sa sarvadā vyutthitaś ca samādhisthaś ca bhargava || 121 ||. See Fr. trans. in Hulin (ed.) 1979: 185. 815 See Hanneder 2006: 216. 816 See TR, jk, 19, 79: trividhā yā vāsanoktā dvitı ̄yā tatra yā bhavet | karmajā mūdḥ atārūpā sā sarvebhyo mahattarā || 79 ||. See Fr. trans. in Hulin (ed.) 1979: 181. 817 See Ibidem, 35ab: tatrādyaṃ sarvamūlaṃ syān mumukṣutvaṃ na cetarat || 35ab ||. 818 See TR, jk, 21, 7–8: jñānasya sādhanaṃ mukhyaṃ devatānugrahaḥ paraḥ | yaḥ sarvabhāvataḥ svātmadevatām upasaṅgataḥ || 7 || tasya jñānaṃ susulabhaṃ bhavatı ̄ti vinis ́cayaḥ | etat sarvottamaṃ rāma proktaṃ jñānasya sādhanam || 8 ||. See Fr. trans. in Hulin (ed.) 1979: 199. 819 See Ibidem, 52bd–53b, 54cd: … dehavyāpāratatparaḥ | na dehı ̄ nāpi vyāpārı ̄ śuddhasaṃ vedanātmakaḥ || 52bd || antaratyacchasusvānto bahir vyavaharaty asau | 53ab … evam eṣa jagatkrı ̄ḍat̄ atparo nirmalās ́ayaḥ || 54cd ||. See Fr. trans. in Hulin (ed.) 1979: 203. 820 See Ibidem, 18c–19, 30c–31b: jñānināṃ lakṣaṇaṃ rāma durvijñeyaṃ bhavet khalu || 18cd || yataḥ sarvāntaraṃ tat tu netravāgādyagocaram | na nirūpayituṃ śakyaṃ lakṣituṃ vāparaiḥ kvacit || 19 || … svātmanas tu parı ̄kṣaȳ āṃ susthirāṇi na saṃ s ́ayaḥ || 30cd || sādhakas tu sadā svātmaparı ̄kṣa ̄ tatparo bhavet | 31ab. See Fr. trans. in Hulin (ed.) 1979: 200–201. 821 See Ibidem, 37: kathaṃ parı ̄kṣaṇı ̄yās te sāmānyavyavahāriṇaḥ | jñāninas tu tatparı ̄kṣam ̄ ̣ kuryur abhyāsavaibhavāt || 37 ||. See Fr. trans. in Hulin (ed.) 1979: 201. 822 See Ibidem, 52c–53b: uttamasya punar brahman samādhivyavahārayoḥ || 52cd || na bhedo les ́ato’py asti yato’vismaraṇaṃ sadā || 53ab ||. See Fr. trans. in Hulin (ed.) 1979: 203. 823 See TR, jk, 22, 40: yathā nātạ kavtteṣu naro veṣan̄ taraṃ gataḥ | hṣyan viṣı ̄ṃ daś ca bhūyo nāntarviktim āpnuyāt || 40 ||. See Fr. trans. in Hulin (ed.) 1979: 212. 824 Slaje 2000: 176, see also the quotations from the MU and the YV in notes 44, 45, p. 187. 825 See Ibidem: 176–177, see also the quotations from the MU and the YV in notes 48–53, pp. 187–188. 826 See TR, jk, 20, Fr. trans. in Hulin (ed.) 1979: 187–197. 827 TR, jk, 20, 22c–28: namas tubhyaṃ mahes ́āni sŕ ı ̄vidye tripureśvari || 22cd || aśeṣotpādayitrı ̄ tvaṃ sthāpayitrı ̄ nijātmani | vilāpayitrı ̄ sarvasya parameśvari te namaḥ || 23 || anūtanā sarvadāsi yato nāsti janis tava | navātmikā sadā tvaṃ vai yato nāsti jarā tava || 24 || sarvāsi sarvasārāsi sarvajñā sarvaharṣiṇı̄ | asarvāsarva­ gāsārāsarvajñāsarvaharṣiṇı ̄ || 25 || devi bhūyo namas tubhyaṃ purastāt pṣtḥ ato’pi ca | adhastād ūrdhvataḥ pārs ́ve sarvatas te namo namaḥ || 26 || brūhi yat te’paraṃ rūpam aiśvaryaṃ jñānam eva ca | phalaṃ tatsādhanaṃ mukhyaṃ sādhakaṃ siddham eva ca || 27 || siddhes tu paramāṃ kāṣtḥ āṃ siddheṣūttamam eva ca | devy etat kramato brūhi bhūyas tubhyaṃ namo namaḥ || 28 ||. 828 See Ibidem, 127: evaṃ siddhim anuprāptaḥ siddheṣūttama ucyate | vyavahāraparo nityaṃ na samādhiṃ vimuñcati || 127 ||. See Fr. trans. in Hulin (ed.) 1979: 196.

The Path towards Jı ̄vanmukti  177 829 See Ibidem, 130c–133: sarva sukhañ ca dihkhañ ca vyavahārañ ca jāgatam || 130cd || svātmany evābhijānāti sa siddheṣūttamo mataḥ | atyantaṃ baddham ātmānaṃ muktaṃ cāpi prapas ́yati || 131 || yaḥ svātmani tu sarvātmā sa siddheṣūttamo mataḥ | yaḥ pasý an bandhajālāni sarvadā svātmani sphuṭam || 132 || mokṣaṃ nāpekṣate kvāpi sa siddheṣūttamo mataḥ | siddhottamo’ham eveha na bhedas tv āvayoḥ kvacit || 133 ||. See Fr. trans. in Hulin (ed.) 1979: 196. 830 Ibidem, 46–47b: svamāyayā svam ajñātvā saṃ sarantı ̄ cirād aham | bhūyo viditvā svātmānaṃ guroḥ s ́iṣyapadaṃ gatā || 46 || nityamuktā punar muktā bhūyo bhūyo bhavāmy aham | 47ab ||. 831 See TR, jk, 22, 78c–79b: parā citiḥ prapūrṇah̄ aṃ bhāvarūpaiva sarvadā || 78cd || sthitāpy anekā sampūrṇah̄ aṃ bhāvaparibṃ hitā | 79ab. See Fr. trans. in Hulin (ed.) 1979: 215. 832 TĀ , XIII, 103–105: devaḥ svatantras ́cidrūpaḥ prakāsá t̄ mā svabhāvataḥ | rūpapracchādanakrı ̄ḍaȳ ogād aṇur anekakaḥ || 103 || sa svayaṃ kalpitākāravi­ kalpātmakakarmabhiḥ | badhnāty ātmānam eveha svātantryād iti varṇitam || 104 || svātantryamahimaivāyaṃ devasya yad asau punaḥ | svaṃ rūpaṃ pariśuddhaṃ satsps ́aty apy aṇutāmayaḥ || 105 || [M. K. Shāstri (ed.) 1926, vol. VIII: 69–71]. See also Fr. trans. by Padoux in Silburn, Padoux (eds.) 1998: 45. 833 See Hulin (ed.) 1979: 16. 834 “Il y a là une conception essentielle du śivaisme non dualiste, pour lequel l’univers est fait de conscience. Il n’est pas irréel, comme pour le Vedānta śaṅkarien. C’est cette réalité de conscience de la création que l’adepte réalisera comme reflétée en son soi en tant que celui-ci n’est pas différent du Soi divin. Ainsi identifié à la divinité, il participera à la fulgurante surabondance du jeu cosmique divin.” [Silburn, Padoux (eds.) 1998: 203].

Part III

Synopsis of the Māhātmyakhaṇdạ of the Tripurārahasya With an Annotated Translation of the Stotras and of Selected Passages

180  Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya

Descent of the Scripture (Sā́ strāvatāra) Chapter 1 The work opens with the Invocation: “O homage to [you who are adorned] with a triple knowledge!835 [You are] abiding in the space of the seed of the heart as bliss and origin [of everything]. Since the grains of dust of the mundane egg of world and non-world have appeared as a slight trace of [your] divine play; [1] since [you are] the supreme syllable (o), the brahman, the resplendent jewel of the garland of the worlds, [you are] everything, contained in everything, the essence of everything, abode and shelter for all; [2] since truly [you are] the seed of the shoot of the entire worldly existence, consisting of what is auspicious, in the form of Śiva, in the form of Śakti, [your] own nature being in the form of brahman; [3] [therefore] I pay homage to Tripurā, the supreme Mistress, the witness of the great dissolution of the universe, the shower of nectar bringing about the resurrection of the burnt Kāma. [4]”836 The narrative begins in the hermitage of Paraśurāma on mount Malaya. Paraśurāma is introduced as a part of Viṣṇu,837 dear to Śiva, and a disciple of Dattātreya, who himself is called a form/part of Viṣṇu.838 Sumedha Hāritāyana, a pupil of Paraśurāma, asks his guru to instruct him on the final emancipation. After recalling the secret doctrine of Tripurā, the teaching supported by devotion and knowledge learned from Dattātreya, who in turn had received it directly from Śiva, Paraśurāma consents to initiate Sumedha.839 After the initiation ceremony, Sumedha reaches Śrı̄sá ila, the dwelling place of the goddess Bhrāmarı̄.840 There he devotes himself to his ritual practices until, one night, the Goddess Bālā appears to him in a dream841 and he dedicates to her a hymn of praise: Hymn in Praise of the Young Girl-Mother ́ Tripurā, o mother, triumph o supreme Young GirlTriumph o Srı̄ Mother, always triumph, [you] who hold dear [your] devotees, triumph, [you who are] the embodiment of compassion! [61] Supreme refuge of [beings], beginning with Brahmā, you are called Tripurā because you existed before the threefold sequence of things shining forth in the three worlds.842 [62] The teachers of the gods and even Hari, Hara, Bhava are incapable of describing or even of knowing your greatness in the slightest. Who in these worlds might dare venture upon the path of praising [you who are] such a goddess, without paying homage to your feet? [63]

Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya  181 O Goddess, the devotion to your lotus-like feet is [like] a heap of jewels that fulfil all desires, so it is no wonder that it produces a fruit greater than desire. What is there thus that cannot be achieved by those whose senses are all directed towards your lotus-like feet? Tell [me], o highest Śivā, o beauteous one, o supreme one! [64] Before the creation of the world, you alone [existed], ocean of nectar of innate bliss, absolutely serene in [your] pure, immutable body. Nothing [else] was present, neither ether, wind, fire, water, earth, nor the effects of material causes, nor knowledge and ignorance, nor the objects of discourse. [65] You alone, one, you in person, filled with a great and infinite power, were present in the form of Consciousness at the beginning of all the worlds. You whose body, alone, is the good seed of all the buds [forming together] the net of the worlds’ garlands, [you are she who], in the form of supreme bliss, by supreme benevolence, carries out the preservation of the individual souls. [66] As waves [are] to the ocean, as jars, jugs and vases [are] in relation to clay, as light [is] to the sun, as ornaments [are] in relation to gold, in the same way this whole [world] is shone forth out of you [who are] in the form of Consciousness: immediately appeared [it is] in the form of Being, and yet in its wonderful appearance it is different from that [Being]. [67] Hence in this world there might be nothing that is distinct from your form. Since you are the Self of all things, you shine forth always, the immensity of space being your body; [yet] under the impulse of compassion you manifest yourself to your devotees in this way, with a body limited by hands, feet, and so on. [68] This form of yours that shines at the lotus-like feet of the venerable Śiva, that appears thanks to a great devotion to those who are gifted with pure eyes by the power of [their] fate (i.e. their karman), can sometimes, due to the influence of destiny, reveal itself to certain people; o mother, how might [your] supreme form become easily accessible in this world? [69] Homage to you, o Young Girl-Mother in whom resides the glory of the destroyer of the three cities! Homage to you, who readily bestow fruits exceeding the desires of [your] devotees! Homage to you, whose compassion has become the thunderbolt that annihilates the mountain of sufferings! Homage to you, whose feet are an Agastya who swallows the ocean of bewilderment! [70]843 The Goddess blesses Sumedha, urges him to get back to his guru, and disappears. When he wakes up, Sumedha is at first in doubt whether to believe in his dream, but eventually he resolves to follow the Goddess’s advice and returns to Paraśurāma. The latter tells him that the vision of the Goddess in his dream was a mark of divine favour and, adding that he too had seen his pupil’s dream, he says that through his yogic vision (yogadṣtị ) Sumedha will attain everything. Then he initiates Sumedha to

182  Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya the Srı̄vidyā method of worship, teaches him the traditional account of the Tripurārahasya, which is the essence of the Tantras,844 and bids him to communicate it only to deserving disciples. Sumedha then goes to Hālāsya (Madurai), the abode of Mı̄nākṣı,̄ the spouse of Sundareśvara, and, while he is absorbed in the meditation and worship of Lalitā, the sage Nārada appears, first to his inner sight, then in person. Chapter 2 Nārada relates to Sumedha that Brahmā, questioned by Mārkaṇḍeya about the essence of all scriptures, once eulogized the Goddess Tripurā as follows: She who is the origin of all the worlds, by whom this whole [universe] is manifested, in whom everything appears, she is Tripurā, superior to everything; deprived of her, everything would be like the son of a barren woman. [25c–26] Thanks to a slight trace of her favour everything abides in her own self; indeed Tripurā is she who is full[y present] in every atom of matter and instant of time. [27] [She is] the unborn who veils with her own self the living beings [who are] continually distinct [on account of their] manifold bodies, spirits, and sense organs. [28] I (Brahmā), Hari and Hara, we who are the grains of dust of her lotus-like feet, do not know the beginning, middle and end of a part of her. [29] Creation, maintenance [and] destruction of the universe, concealing and grace, [all this] is always done for us by she who is the supreme One. [30] She [is] the Goddess of all, the Mistress of all, the primary cause of all, called the beautiful Tripurā, the free, shining and playful ́ Consciousness. [31] The Sakti, excellent among all, mother of all, Tripurā, support of the Word, has appeared in many forms on account of compassion for [her] devotees. [32] Her divine image is the best one everywhere, her doctrine is regarded as the supreme one; listen, o lord of the sages, she alone, the Lady of all, is to be worshipped by all. [33]845 After praising Tripurā, Brahmā told how her secret doctrine was first revealed by Śiva to Sadāsí va, and successively to Rudra, to Viṣṇu and to Brahmā himself; in the world of mortal beings, Dattātreya learnt it from Śiva and taught it to Paraśurāma who, in his turn, explained it to Sumedha.846 Nārada thus asks Sumedha to expound the teaching he had received, but Sumedha declares he has forgotten the words of his guru. Nārada then invokes Brahmā and questions him about the past merits by which Sumedha has become a devotee of Tripurā. The god, appearing before the two sages, narrates the story of Alarka, the son of a brāhman called Sumantu, a great devotee of Durgā. Once, as a little boy, Alarka heard his father addressing his mother with the vocative “ayi”; later, he fell ill and, upon dying, he addressed his mother as “ai, ai”. Although the syllable was devoid of anusvāra – of which aiṁ, the bı ̄jamantra of Tripurā is instead endowed – the Goddess Bālā was pleased, so the dying child acquired

Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya  183 merits which produced their fruits when he was reborn as Sumedha, the son of Harita. However, since the syllable had been muttered without any knowledge of it, no trace of it remained in the memory of Sumedha. But now, thanks to the power of Brahmā, Sumedha will be able to explain the meaning of the bı ̄jamantra and to compose the Tripurārahasya, a work made of 12,000 stanzas and divided into three sections, namely māhātmya-, jnānaand caryā-khaṇdạ . Sumedha, who will complete his task in thirty-six days, will be the narrator and Nārada the listener. When Brahmā and Nārada had disappeared, Sumedha, having paid homage to Sundareśa (Śiva), Mı̄nākṣı,̄ Gaṇeśa and his guru, composed the whole work in thirty-six days, beginning with “o namaḥ kāraṇānanda” and ending with “sā bhavet tripuraiva hrı̄m”.

Presentation of the Spiritual Teachers Story of Paraśurāma Chapter 3 The chapter begins with the eulogy of the TR and the illustration of its efficacy: The secret doctrine of Tripurā, a sacred legend, essence of the Tantras, undivided, fully endowed with detachment, devotion, majesty (māhātmya), ritual action (kriyā) and knowledge (jñāna), wonderful with [its] various tales and stories, [5–6b] removes the guilt of [its] readers, destroys the pain of [its] listeners; [if] discussed produces the attainment of one’s own self [and] leads to liberation, [if] honoured promotes devotion to Tripurā, [if] understood produces auspiciousness, [if] well written bestows science, [if] respectfully studied grants the objects of desires. [6c–8b] Wherever is celebrated the story and greatness of the Goddess Tripurā, which is richly endowed with knowledge, detachment, and devotion, which was heard by Nārada and so forth, and which is like a gem yielding all desires, what could exist that is difficult to be obtained anymore? [8c–9]847 Nārada goes to Sumedha with the intention of hearing the TR from him. Their dialogue begins with Sumedha’s narration about Paraśurāma. Once the brāhman cı̄ka, the grandson of Bhgu, wished to grant a boon to his wife Satyavatı̄, who was of royal descent; he thus promised her a son who would be the best among the brāhmans and a brother who would be the best among the kṣatriyas. He then prepared two puddings made of the semen of a brāhman and of a kṣatriya, destined for Satyavatı̄ and her mother, respectively. But the puddings were exchanged, so cı̄ka rectified the mistake by saying that the son of Satyavatı̄ would be the pious brāhman Jamadagni, but the latter’s son would have the temperament of a kṣatriya. Hence, in due time, from Jamadagni and Reṇukā was born Rāma, who

184  Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya

obtained from Śiva an invincible axe, so that he is known as Paraśurāma (Rāma with the axe). Later, to avenge his father’s murder by the king Kārtavı̄rya Arjuna, Paraśurāma wiped out all the kṣatriyas for twenty-one generations. Finally, after having bestowed the whole Earth to Kaśyapa, he devoted himself to penance and meditation.848 Subsequently, Paraśurāma fought against Rāma, the scion of Raghu, in revenge for Rāma’s offence to Śiva, as he had broken the god’s bow in the contest to conquer Sı̄tā. This struggle ended with the victory of Rāma and with Paraśurāma’s recognition of him as the supreme Soul born as a human being in order to protect the world.849

The Sage Saṃ varta Chapter 4 When Paraśurāma resumed his path, filled with remorse for the massacre of kṣatriyas he had perpetrated and vowing not to give in to anger anymore, he met a strange man: naked, devoid of marks indicating his varṇa or ās ́rama, acting like a madman, and yet irradiating an intense glow: As he (Paraśurāma) [continued] on [his] path, preoccupied with these thoughts, he saw a man [who was] all splendour, glowing like a mountain of fire, with a strong and handsome body, [his] eyes [resembling] blown lotuses; [13c–14] he who appeared like a great man, high-souled, a king among the ascetics, a sage, yet his body was dirty, his hair loose, his behaviour insane. [15] Thus the Bhārgava, having seen [that] brāhman [who had] abandoned the emblems of the stages of life and so on, [who was] naked, mud-smeared, standing like a fragrant elephant [16]…850 Thinking that such man was probably a great sage who was concealing his true nature, Paraśurāma asked him: “Who are you?” At first the man ran away, laughing and throwing stones at Paraśurāma; then, with a view to test him, Paraśurāma insulted him, but the man did not react, so Para­ śurāma concluded that he was a great sage and bowed before him. Then, in answering his inquiry, the man said that, whether knowing or ignoring the meaning of the word “you”, Paraśurāma’s question was vain. In fact, the conscious self (cidātman) is unknowable. On the other hand, the physical body can be clearly perceived, but the self, though closely connected with the body, can never be confined to a single spot: [If you] understand [the meaning of the word] tvam (you), [your] question shall be vain like [the act of] grinding flour; if you do not understand [the meaning of the word] tvam, [your] speech shall be nonsensical. [29] [You] do not know your conscious self, because of its being unknowable as such. [30cd] Tell me if [the

Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya  185 conscious self may be] known by anyone endowed with a body. [30ab] Indeed there is no doubt that you see this food with your own eyes, therefore your inquiry [should be] solidly based on a clear notion. [31] However, from such knowledge of the body you do not get a clear notion, [because] this is not self-proved [but] can be variously inferred. [32] The [notion of the conscious self] is not placed in a single spot just because of its being closely connected with the body. Therefore, o Rāma if you formulate your question clearly, I will answer to you.[33]851 Thereafter Paraśurāma was confused, in need of further explanations and declared himself to be his disciple. The sage introduced himself as Saṃvarta, the son of Aṅgiras and pupil of Dattātreya. He said that he had renounced the world and, in the awareness of the all-pervading ātman, he had reached the state of fearlessness. He told Paraśurāma that, thanks to the teaching of a guru and the veneration of the Goddess Tripurā, he too might attain knowledge of the Self and comprehended that there is no other reality. In fact, he who experiences his own self as abiding in everything and everything as abiding within his own self, eradicates the feeling of the ego, thus becoming one who knows and who is free from fear.852 Since Paraśurāma was still unable to grasp the sense of the words of Saṃvarta, the latter induced him to address Dattātreya and pray to be enlightened by him, who was the incarnation of Sadāsí va himself.

Dattātreya and His Teaching Chapter 5 Paraśurāma set off to mount Gandhamādana, where the hermitage of Dattātreya was located. On his way he thought how, like most human beings, he had been deluded by the illusory identification of the self with the body and had been living trapped in worldly existence, prey to desire and anger, which are the root of all misery. Thus, along with his increasing disillusion with the world, his desire to resort to a guru grew. He finally reached mount Gandhamādana, adorned with its peaks, trees and birds; it was an abode of gods, female siddhas playing musical instruments, dancing apsaras, and couples of yakṣa s intent in their amorous play. There, on the threshold of the hermitage of Dattātreya, he saw a brāhman absorbed in meditation. As the latter opened his eyes, Paraśurāma respectfully introduced himself; then he was taken before the sage Dattātreya, the lord of the community of the avadhūtas, who was surrounded by several great yogins. Chapter 6 Dattātreya appeared as a handsome man, shining with youth, embraced by a young woman, with a jar of liquor in front of him, yet bearing the marks of an ascetic:

186  Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya [Paraśurāma] saw that high-souled one, [who was] all splendour, unsurpassed; the complexion of [his] body had the colour of a blue lotus and of a tender leaved, dark barked mangosteen. [1] [His] eyes [resembled] blown blue lotuses, [his] face [was] the image of the full moon, splendid with [his] lips [similar to] young shoots; [2] the space [was] filled with the light of the extraordinary beauty of [his] gentle smile, the row of [his] teeth surpassed the splendour of a string of large pearls; [3] [his] face [was] shining with a curved nose and full cheeks, he had folds in [his] neck like a spiral shell. [He was] splendid with the beauty of [his] long arms, [4] bent with the joined palms of the hands as graceful as young shoots, with a large chest, with a slender abdomen having three folds; [5] with [his] thighs beautiful like trunks of elephants, [his] legs resembling quivers, [his] feet charming like lotuses. [6] [He was] a bulb of beauty, shining, permeated by the splendour of youth; the [mere] sight [of him] inflamed the passion of women to its highest point. [7] After looking at such a being, [who was] embraced by a woman similar to Lakṣmı̄, with a body shining with the loveliness of extreme youth, her lotus-like eyes rolling and reddened with excitement by the spirituous liquor, [who had] a pot of intoxicating drink placed before [him], [8–9] [who had] only the appearance of an ascetic, [who was] wearing mixed marks, [Paraśurāma] became doubtful, [wondering] what [meant] the wonderful behaviour of that high-souled ascetic. [10]853 Thinking that the ideas of good and evil were simply products of the imagination, Paraśurāma decided not to be taken in by appearances. In welcoming him, the sage spoke of the importance of the victory over the senses and of the value of renouncing the world; he also expressed his astonishment at Paraśurāma’s imperturbability in the face of his own apparently contradictory behaviour. Paraśurāma replied that, whether Dattātreya’s conduct seemed good or bad, the guru was to be regarded as Śiva in person. Therefore, burnt by worldly pleasures and pains, Paraśurāma intended to seek refuge at his guru’s feet, in order to attain knowledge of the Self and to feel like an elephant who, surrounded by a flaming forest, plunges into the refreshing water of the Ganges. Dattātreya said that such noble desire was certainly the fruit of the grace of the Goddess, and invited Paraśurāma to listen to his words: ́ Truly the supreme Siva alone [is] the Self of all living beings. [66cd] On account of the power of his own māyā, [he] does not know himself as supreme; therefore, in the contraction of all [his] energies, [he] voluntary narrows. [67] So far in this world there shall never be, anywhere, a reality [that], albeit void, shines; so also, nothing exists without brilliance. [68] The shining light – where indeed the shining is not separated from the light – the illuminating power, the brilliance, truly [is] the supreme Śiva, whose essence is light. [69] One, eternal, by

Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya  187 means of his pure energy he voluntary appears everywhere, wonderfully taking manifold forms. [70] Now the Self alone is the eternal brilliant lustre of all worlds: though luminous, it is always considered dark because of ignorance. [71] Therefore through his recognition the destruction of ignorance occurs immediately. Not otherwise, [even] by crores of efforts, does one come to that condition of coolness, inside and outside, everywhere, that is like living in an island in the middle of the Ganges. [72–73b]854 Dattātreya concluded by saying that true knowledge, which is difficult to attain, may be granted only by the grace of the supreme Śakti, the Goddess Tripurā; her grace can be obtained through devotion, and devotion arises by hearing the celebration of her glory.

Tripurā as Mother of the Worlds Chapter 7 Questioned by Paraśurāma about the nature of the supreme Mother Tripurā, Dattātreya said that even the gods do not know who she is and where she dwells; the Vedas, śāstras and Tantras are unable to describe her,855 and one cannot know her by the means of knowledge (pratyakṣa etc.), or by reasoning and logic (tarka). She can be attained only through the subjective experience of “I am (asmi)”. She is the Ur-mother, the knower of the means of knowledge (pramānạ n̄ āṃ pramātrı ̄), the power of Consciousness (cicchakti), taking corporeal forms on account of her divine play. It is possible to count the grains of dust, but it is impossible to measure the ocean of her greatness or describe her wonderful form.856 However, despite her unknowableness, Dattātreya will reveal to his disciple the deeds of Tripurā. Once the gods Indra, Agni, Soma and Vāyu resorted to Hari Nārāyaṇa857 to settle a dispute about who should be considered preeminent among them. Viṣṇu evoked Śambhu (Śiva),858 who appeared before the gods and, after having received their homage, began to pray Tripurā for the welfare of the worlds. Then also Viṣṇu and Brahmā meditated on the supreme Mother. Thus remembered by the three great gods, the Goddess manifested herself for the protection of the worlds. At her appearance, which was accompanied by a terrifying sound and the light of millions of lightning bolts, the gods fell unconscious, except Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Śiva, who recognised in that light the play of the supreme Śakti and, full of devotion, sought refuge with her.

Chapter 8 ́ After Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Siva had prostrated themselves before Tripurā, each of them dedicated to her a hymn of praise.

188  Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya I Hymn in Praise of Tripurā859 Triumph, triumph o Mother of the worlds, triumph, triumph o great Lady superior to everything! Triumph, triumph o destroyer of the sufferings of [your] devotees, triumph, triumph o [you] who dwells within everybody in the form of Consciousness. [2] We, [the gods] beginning with Vidhi, Hari, Rudra and Iś̄ a, act thanks to the charming play860 of the eyebrows on the face of the Mother of the worlds. I pay homage to the Goddess, the great Lady. [3] [The fact that] I am the creator, Murāri (Viṣṇu) [is] the protector, this Rudra [is] the destroyer [of the world] and Iś̄ a [is] the root of the concealment: all [this is] the result of a small part of your power. [4] This Sadāsí va too, [who is] the root of all grace, is powerful only because he has taken refuge in your lotus-like feet. You therefore deserve to be honoured by all.861 [5] By [your] forms of Vāmā, Jyeṣth ̣ ā and Raudrı̄ you have placed us in our respective conditions; in like manner, by [your] form of Ambikā [you have established] the fourth one.862 [6] O mother, while you, after concentrating space [in one point only], dwell in your own sphere, then we are known in the world by the names of the five great corpses.863 [7] O Mother of the world, also in times of great difficulty for us, you, omnipresent through [your] manifold corporeal forms, [are] devoted to [our] protection as a mother [is] to her child. [8] We three, born from your qualities, are the first among all beings. However, given that you existed before us three, you are called Tripurā.864 [9]865 II Hymn in Praise of Tripurā866 O venerable mother, in this world we, [who have been] born from your qualities, are constantly intent on your praise. That which we desire, o mother, [is] the sole devotion to your lotus-like feet. Let it be always only this for us! [12] O Lady of the gods, o your Ladyship, if the multitude of all worlds – the parts of which are distinguished according to the variety of one or the other form and quality – adorned with the glory of [your] manifold power, did not shine in you, [then] nothing might be manifested, o Goddess. [13] [You,] mother [are] earth, water, fire, air and ether, movable beings and immovable entities, space and time, being and non-being: all this is [none other than] a form [taken] by you, not different from you [even] in the least part. [14] We here, the Lords of the Lords of the worlds, beginning with Brahmā, have become endowed with a great and celebrated might

Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya  189 over the worlds because, dwelling by the pedestal of your throne, we worship your lotus-like feet. Homage to you! [15] Even the most important revealed scriptures do not dare to describe your supreme, transcendent form. In this world how can they know such a one as you, they whose minds are obstructed by the omnipresence of your māyā? [16] On the other hand, [he who is] connected with all possible shortcomings and impurities is elevated only thanks to the worship of your lotus-like feet; with the mind purified by [this] nectar-like speech of the Lord of Srı̄, he knows you, who are the embodied self of the supreme Śiva. [17] Omniscient and eternal, made of Word, the Veda describes your form as the splendour of the variety of the qualities. Thus, thanks to [your] supreme compassion for us, you bear this body consisting of the mass of this splendour. [18] And this form [of yours which is] nothing but great light is known to us only thanks to the power of [our] veneration for you. O mother, let your longed for, true form attenuate the shortcomings of all the gods, beginning with their king Indra. [19]867 III Hymn in Praise of Tripurā868 I bow to you, o supreme Lady! Here you are worshipped by the greatest among all the gods, Vidhāt, Hari and Śaṅkara, the supreme beings. Which deity will thus be superior to you? You alone, Lady of the kings of kings, are excellent among all. [22] Shame on those foolish human beasts [who in truth go only] by the name of men, who, full of desires, honour the sovereigns of the gods in vain, having abandoned the supreme Lady, the highest Śivā, excellent among all; [they are like those who], abandoning the celestial tree, shelter beneath a dead karı ̄ra bush. [23] O Mother of the world, let my mind, freed from the impressions evoked by worldly objects, be always fixed on your lotus-like feet, let [my] hands be constantly [intent] upon their adoration, let [my] word be [devoted] to the celebration of the ocean of nectar of [your] virtues, o Śivā. [24] We [are] eminent [thanks to the fact that] your parts called the noble Śāradā, Ramā and the Daughter of the Mountain are beloved by [us], Vidhāt, Hari and Śaṅkara. Keeping [them] always in our mouth, heart and half of the body,869 we are devoted to the works of manifestation, maintenance and reabsorption of the world. [25] You alone [are the function of] the manifestation in Vidhi, [that of] the maintenance in the one whose resting place is the Lord of the serpents; in me, Śiva, [you are the function of] the reabsorption and in Iś̄ a [that of] the concealment of the qualities. [You are] the function of grace in the highest Śiva, [and] in the supreme brahman you are

190  Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya present yourself as the supreme Śivā, by nature consisting of the light of Consciousness. [26] O Śivā, as firmness in earth, as taste in water, form in fire, and as is movement in wind, as emptiness in space and as is heat in the sun, in the same way you, o supreme Śivā, are the essence [of all entities] from Śiva to earth. [27] The immortal [gods], beginning with Sūrya, [are] confused by your supreme might, great spouse of Maheśa, and argue among themselves. O mother, o Śivā, save at once your children, [who are] the enemies of the demons, with [your] glance that overflows with the nectar of the narrations [of your deeds] which are revealed [to them]. [28] O Mother of the world, always look at the beings burnt by the fire of worldly objects with the compassion that overflows from your eyes like a torrent of nectar. O Superior to the Supreme, you alone are she who destroys all scorching pain, refuge of beings. Let homage be paid to you always! [29]870 Pleased with these praises by Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Śiva, Tripurā took a corporeal form, to dispel the ignorance of the gods. She appeared before them: With her limbs of the colour of refined gold, adorned with divine ornaments, with eighteen arms, in the form of a girl, her mouth smiling sweetly. [32] The sound of her anklets [was] tinkling as far as the horizon, the radiancy cast by the soles of her feet [was] like a bud of fresh coral; [33] she had the slow, charming gait of a sanctified female goose; her glorious hips [were clothed] with a royal garment dyed with safflower. [34] [She was] splendid with the pond of her navel resembling a deep whirl, with her breast adorned with a red silken upper garment. [35] [She was] bearing with her red bud-like hands the bow, the noose, the bell, the hourglass-shaped drum, the bowl of gems, the shield, the rosary, the lotus, the book, the hand gesture of consciousness (cinmudrā), the conch, the disc, the sword, the trident, the axe, the mace, the elephant goad, and the arrows. [36–37] [She wore] a garland of golden lotuses around her neck, [was] adorned with gem bracelets on her upper arms, shining with diamond rings on her fingers [similar to] the fibres of the stalk of the lotus, [38] her neck [was] adorned with a glittering necklace of nine gems. [She was] richly endowed with the splendour of auspicious jewels, well perfumed with sandalwood; [39] luminous with a pair of ear-ornaments whose splendour was equal to the sun and the moon; splendid with her lips of the colour of a ripe bimba fruit. [40] The redness of her eyelids was doubled by the rubies of her nose ornaments, the play of her lotus leaf-like three eyes summoned flocks of female deer. [41] With her full moon-like face bearing a musk mark on her forehead, with the waves

Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya  191 of her hair resembling a stream of bees on her lotus-like face, [42] full of the fragrancy of her soft, long, thick, black hair, with her diadem of precious gems filling with its splendour the heavenly vault; [43] [she wore on] her beautiful forehead a chaplet adorned with the digit of the moon. [44ab] The Goddess, the supreme Śakti, Tripurā, [who is] always a young girl, whose own form is the supreme brahman, endowed with such qualities, [takes this] excellent, holy, beautiful form, admired by all, for mere play, in order to support [all beings]. [44c–45]871 The sight of her beauty soothed the gods who had fainted after the shock caused by the terrifying sound which had announced her appearance. Thereupon Indra wondered who that wonderful young lady might be, and sent, in turn, Agni, Soma and Vāyu to inquire about her identity, origin, power and nature. But when the three gods approached her and, still full of pride, boasted of their respective powers, Tripurā tested them and, after having crushed them, she drove them back, one after the other. Chapter 9 Indra, in his turn, approached the Goddess, showing his weapons with pride and boasting of his powers; but once put on his mettle, the smile of the Goddess was enough to transfix his hand holding the thunderbolt and to immobilize his body, turning him into a wooden-like figure. Looking for protection, Indra then recalled his guru, the wise son of Aṅgiras, Bhaspati. The latter arrived immediately and, seeing the Goddess, saluted her with a hymn of praise: IV Hymn in Praise of Tripurā Triumph, triumph o Śaṅkarı̄, [you who are] causing safety to beings, who have [the gods] beginning with Vidhi at your service, [you] praised by the Veda. Protect the gods, o [you who are] terrible for the wicked [and] auspicious for the wise, [you] who have control over everything. [33] The Lords of the gods, Vidhi, Hari and Śaṅkara, have power over the birth, maintenance, and destruction of the worlds thanks to a slight trace of the compassion obtained by worshipping your lotus-like feet.872 [34] Even the Lord of the troops of the gods (Śiva) [becomes] very confused if [he is] deprived of [just] a slight trace of your compassion. This is not strange, for without you, in fact, not even the supreme Lord is a ruler in any place. [35] Not even [the gods], beginning with Vidhi and Hari, would be able to describe your divine play; thus, o mother, tell me how can I do as much in this hymn in praise of the ocean of your majesty? [36]

192  Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya This whole [world] is the product of your divine play, it is the breath of your first Word. [The gods,] beginning with Vidhi and Hari, born from [your] qualities, being younger, do not know you, the mother. [37] You [are] the unparalleled, [your] body [is formed by] all the movable and immovable beings, [you are] she to whom the multitude of the worlds and the non-worlds has resorted [for refuge]; nobody else [can be] your shelter, indeed you shine having recourse [only] to your power. [38] Just as fabric is sewn lengthwise and crosswise by threads, as ornaments such as bracelets and so forth [are made] of gold, so, o Tripurā, the whole [world], supreme and not supreme, is sewn lengthwise and crosswise by [your] divine Energy (kalā).873 [39] The six pathways beginning with that of phonemes, the nine groups [of entities] beginning with time and the five energies beginning with stability,874 certainly [all this] does not differ from you, [who are] the power of [the supreme] Consciousness (cicchakti). [40] At the beginning of all things you shine, having the supreme Consciousness as [your] body, [you] unique, with an auspicious form. The seer, the hearer, and the speaker, [all these are] not different [from you]. Who is capable of praising you? [41] Just as the set of rays [is emanated] from the sphere of the jewel of the day, in the same way everything has arisen out of you. Thus [in] the whole visible and invisible world there is nothing that is different from you. [42] O Lady of the gods, how might the gods, whose eyes are veiled by your inaccessible power, know your form? Protect all the hosts of the gods! [43] This great Indra, not knowing you, [remains here] motionless by your feet. With a slight glance that oozes compassion, protect the Lord of a hundred sacrifices, the sovereign of the immortals! [44]875 Moved by Bhaspati’s homage, the Goddess, out of compassion, restored to Indra the ability to move; then Indra, becoming aware of her great power and filled with devotion, dedicated to her a hymn of praise: V Hymn in Praise of Tripurā Homage to you, o Tripurā, o mother, homage [to you who are] the refuge of the supreme Śiva! Homage [to you who are] consisting of the nectar of supreme bliss which is called causal reality! [51] Truly you are the cause of the connection of being and non-being. Everything has arisen from you, everything is founded upon you and is [continually] reabsorbed in you. In all objects you are the reality, like clay for jars and so forth, and gold for ornaments. [52–53] This world might not differ from you even in the slightest way, just as in no place [might there be] coolness without water, [or] light without fire. [54]

Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya  193 As rays are the powers of the jewel of the sky, in the same way all objects shine forth out of you, o supreme Lady. [55] That which is the essence in Vidhi, Hari, Śiva and, in the same way, in [every] other [being] called deity, all this is a manifestation of your power. [56] Without name, form, and activity, your only form being nothing but Consciousness, yet you [take] form, name, and activity to [bestow] grace upon beings. [57] Hence, he who day after day aspires to the aims of man should always serve with devotion – not devoted to anyone else – you alone, [you] who are the gem that fulfils [all] desires, o Śivā. [58] If you are showing [your] favour, what is unobtainable in this world? [But] if you are not showing [your] favour, what could [ever] be obtained? And [those who], bewildered, have ceased worshipping the ́ Sakti of the Lord of the world, in vain are devoted to other [deities]. [59] Truly those who depend on a lord endowed with [even] limited power cannot [hope to] be freed without propitiating him. [Hence] for those who are completely dependent on the Śakti of the great Lord, how [could there be] liberation without her favour? [60] Indeed, the beings bound by your māyā – by your power existing since eternity – bewildered for a long time, pay homage to different figures who are called divine, neglecting you [who are] their own power, the supreme deity. [61] You alone [are] Superior to the Supreme, [since you are] the principle of everything. [However] how might the gods that are born from you be [so] in name [only]? As ornaments are not different from gold, in the same way the gods, beginning with the Lord, might not be [so] in name only. [62] Yet, for the gods beginning with the Lord the fact of being lords is finally just [the result of] a slight trace of your grace, [you] the Lady of all beings. It is [only] because of bewilderment that those who are scorched by fire go looking for a small river, disregarding the vast Ganges. [63] In [this] mortal [thing] called body [my] confused mind is full of the pride of almightiness. O mother, who else other than you can protect me from [every] wicked and undesirable action? [64] You who are the mother of all [beings], the supreme Mother, may it please you to forgive all my guilt. Is it [perhaps] not desirable this indulgence on the part of the mother towards her own child, given that this is innate and [so] well known? [65] Truly, [the fact] that I was immobilized in your presence might not have been owed to your anger, but rather to your grace; [given that,] faced with [your] anger everything would not fail to be reduced to ashes. For a guilty son, the mother’s reprimand [is thus sufficient]. [66]876

194  Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya After Indra, the other gods, beginning with Agni, also paid homage to the Goddess. Satisfied by their eulogies, Tripurā established that they should protect the world, by acting in their respective spheres, always worshipping her with devotion. Then she disappeared. Before parting, Indra and the other gods asked Viṣṇu to reveal the nature of Tripurā to them. Hence Viṣṇu described the supreme Śakti as follows: Truly this is the supreme Śakti, who is manifesting the whole [world]; she is the great power of the supreme Lord, called reflective awareness (vimarsá ).877 [87] She is the great space in which this world shines; she pervades the world, being herself the unchanging Subject who sees (draṣt̣ ). [88] This world which is seen is said to be her form; indeed, the visible world is called twofold because of the distinction of time and space. [89] It is declared that time is made of action [and] sound, [and] space is made of form. Time is threefold, namely, [consisting of] phoneme (varṇa), word (pada) and mantra. [90] Indeed space too is threefold, namely, [consisting of] energy (kalā), principle (tattva) and world (bhuvana). And [all] this, in the form of a group of six, is called the sixfold pathway (ṣaḍadhvan).878 [91] As effect has the nature of its own cause – [like] the tree [which] has the nature of the seed – so it is said [about] phonemes (varṇa) and so forth [with respect to] time and [about] energies (kalā) and so forth [with respect to] space. [92] Because of the arising of both of these (causes and effects, i.e. time and space and their derivatives) from the Subject who sees, it is said that [these two] have the nature of the Subject who sees; therefore truly it is said that this whole [world] has the form of the Subject who sees. [93] After having understood that the Subject who sees, which has the form of one’s own self, [which is] identical to the power of Consciousness, is different from the visible body and so forth, you deserve to know Her (the Goddess). [94] This, enunciated in short, is the teaching about the power of the Self (or: the Śakti herself).879 [95ab] After extolling the Goddess, Viṣṇu recommended that the gods always keep in mind the great Śakti as their own self in the form of the power of Consciousness (citiśakti), and finally he dismissed them. Thus – concluded Dattātreya – Tripurā dispelled the ignorance of the gods.

The Goddesses as Forms of Tripurā The Threefold Kumār ı̄ Chapter 10 Keen to learn more about the Goddess, Paraśurāma asked Dattātreya to tell him more about Tripurā’s deeds. After extolling her qualities as supreme

Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya  195 Goddess, Dattātreya enumerated her principal forms (rūpa), namely: Kumārı̄, Gaurı̄, Ramā, Bhāratı̄, Kālı̄, Caṇḍikā, Durgā, Bhagavatı̄, Kātyāyanı̄ and, finally, the great queen Lalitā, the fullest manifestation of Tripurā.880 Then he began to narrate the story of she who was praised by the gods in their hymns:881 Kumārı̄, who took three forms (trirūpā). In the beginning there was Tripurā alone. Since she wished to create, the will arose first, then knowledge and action followed. From three of her glances, Paśupati, Hari and Brahmā were manifested as made of her will, knowledge and action (icchā, jñāna, kriyā ) respectively, and they set out to practise ascesis (tapas). At that time there existed only space (ākās ́a), and Tripurā herself was in the form of space. At her command, Brahmā, seeing infinite space, moved in the emptiness and, by the touch (sparśa) of his moving body, wind (vāyu) was created; from the speed of wind arose heat (ūsm ̣ an), then form (rūpa), fire (agni), taste (rasa), water (salila), smell (gandha) and earth (pthivı ̄).882 Thus, Brahmā performed the creation of the world (bhuvana). At this point Paraśurāma interrupted Dattātreya, and asked the following questions: since at first Brahmā saw the elements beginning with ākās ́a, were these elements uncreated? Conversely, if the elements were created, how could Brahmā name them before the arising of the subtle element of sound? Dattātreya postponed the answers to these questions, explaining to his disciple – by means of the story of a weaver of mats883 – how dangerous knowledge might be when imparted at the wrong time. The account of creation continued: Brahmā created movable beings and immovable entities, men, yakṣa s, gandharvas etc., animals and plants, and all these filled the earth. Then, upon the request of Brahmā, the Goddess deputed Viṣṇu to the protection of the world. But when the earth, full of living beings, looked like a pomegranate bursting with too many seeds, the Goddess deputed Rudra to destroy it, and the god reduced everything to ashes by the power of the syllable o. Subsequently Brahmā manifested the worlds again, also creating the god of Death (Mtyu) as part of Rudra and assigned to him the task of destruction. But Mtyu was sad at the prospect of annihilating creatures; hence diseases arose out of his weeping, and Brahmā appointed them to attack living beings, so that Mtyu himself would not be considered their killer. Seeing that Brahmā, Hari and Paśupati were well established in their respective functions, the Goddess appeared before them in a form endowed with all their attributes.884 The gods paid homage to her with a hymn of praise: VI Hymn in Praise of Tripurā We pay homage to you, the Goddess, who accords fruits that exceed [their] desires to [those] beings who have resorted [to you for refuge], [you,] the Lady of the world, endowed with a great, incommensurable might; [you] whose divine play [constitutes] the sole aim of the multitude of the manifested worlds, [you] having the form of the

196  Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya supreme brahman, [you] who are [regarded as] the vein blowing life into the supreme Śiva.885 [116] Disregarding you, the Goddess, the series [of entities] beginning with earth and ending with Śiva, the objects of knowledge, the multitude [of the rulers of the worlds] beginning with Kālāgni886 and ending with Śiva, and in the same way also the variety of movable and immovable beings, all of this – for those who know – without you becomes like the water of a mirage. [117] O Goddess, indeed [it is] a great wonder [that, although] you yourself are present in the multiple variety of the worlds, always pervading it with [your] most manifest form, [nevertheless] [the exterior things such as] nails, [the sense organs such as] the ear and so forth, [the organs of action such as] speech and so forth and even [that which is] most intimate, the mind, by no means occur in you. [118] O faultless one, by virtue of [your] great compassion towards the devotees who bow [before you], you [accord them] the grace of a path [which is] easily accessible to [their] mind, word, and eyes. O mother intent upon the salvation of the world, you take the form in which you are meditated on by one or the other creature devoted to the veneration of your lotus-like feet. [119] May there be the destruction and birth of countless universes thanks to the closing and opening of the eyes887 of she who is the embodied greatest Śakti! O supreme Śivā, what wonder [is produced by the fact that] you, endowed with the power of the great māyā, take manifold corporeal forms to accord the fruits of [their] desires to the beings who have resorted to you [for refuge]? [120] O mother, it is thanks to you that we, Brahmā, etc., have completed [our works of] creation, reabsorption, and maintenance of the world, committing ourselves constantly. [Now, however,] we are discouraged in [our] task [since our] powers – strength and virility to begin with – have exhausted themselves and verily only you, the supreme One, can reinvigorate us. [121]888 To reinvigorate the gods, who were worn out by the effort required by their tasks, the Goddess manifested three goddesses out of her own body: Vāṇı ̄ (Sarasvatı̄), Ramā (Lakṣmı̄) and Raudraṇı ̄ (Pār vatı̄).889 She said that Lakṣmı̄, Pār vatı̄ and Sarasvatı̄ were born as parts (aṃ sá ) and sisters of Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Śiva, respectively; hence she gave the sister of Brahmā in spouse to Viṣṇu, the sister of Viṣṇu in spouse to Śiva and the sister of Śiva in spouse to Brahmā. The weddings were celebrated and, through their respective spouses/sá ktis, who were the Goddess’s particular manifestations, the three gods could also partake of the nature of Tripurā. This is the conclusion of the narrative of Tripurā who, by taking the three forms (trirūpā) of Sarasvatı̄, Lakṣmı̄ and Pārvatı̄, was united with the three great gods. The fruits obtained by listening to this narrative are finally enumerated.

Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya  197

Lakṣmı̄ and the Deeds of her Son Kāma Chapter 11 On the request of Paraśurāma, Dattātreya proceeded with his narrative about the forms of the Goddess. When the three gods, accompanied by their consorts, were well established in their respective functions, human beings lived happy and equal in the world; free from sorrows and conflicts, they did not feel any need to perform the sacrificial rites. Since they were not gratified by worship and offerings, prompted by their guru Aṅgiras, and led by Indra, the gods resorted to Brahmā. In his abode, the satyaloka,890 Brahmā appeared in two forms: the first dwelt in the inner court, where only those who were free from desires were admitted, and the second resided in the outer court, which was open to those who were still prey of desire. Reaching the outer court, Indra related to the creator the conduct of human beings. Brahmā explained that men did not make sacrificial offerings because they were free from desires; he thus advised the gods to propitiate Lakṣmı̄, the goddess of prosperity, so that she could arouse the desire for wealth in human beings. Chapter 12 The gods reached the banks of the Ganges, in a Himalayan valley, and propitiated Lakṣmı̄ with a hymn containing her names: Hymn of the 28 Names of Lakṣmı̄ Homage to Lakṣmı̄, to the great goddess, to Padmā always homage! Homage to the spouse of Viṣṇu, to she who dwells in the lotus, homage, homage! [2] It is you who are upon the chest of Hari,891 [you] the oldest goddess (jyeṣtḥ ā),892 source of [all] blessing, lotus-eyed,893 dwelling in the lotus, with a lotus in [your] hand, made of the Supreme Word.894 [3] [You are] she who accords supreme bliss, [your] sidelong glances dispel the suffering of those who have resorted [to you] for refuge, [you] rosy hued,895 [you] who give joy, Lakṣmı̄, great Lakṣmı̄,896 [endowed] with a triple power. [4] Universal sovereign,897 [you are] she who gives complete happiness,898 Lady of the treasures, she who distributes treasures, worshipped by the Lord of the treasures, praised by the Veda, endowed with great and eternal prosperity. [5] [You are] regarded as the success, the good fortune for all,899 celebrated Lady, Ramā, the protectress,900 beautiful, [you are] she who gladdens,901 [you are] the best of the maṇdạ las.902 [6]903 Pleased with the gods who praised her with her secret names, Lakṣmı̄904 appeared before them and, meeting their request, she promised that

198  Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya thenceforth only those who had offered sacrifices would obtain wealth and prosperity from her. Then, after mentioning the reward for those who worshipped her with these 28 names,905 she disappeared. However, since after some time had passed the conduct of men was unchanged, the gods resolved to appeal to Lakṣmı̄ again. They went to the banks of the Ganges and performed ascetic practices and meditation for a long time; when the goddess appeared before them, they saluted her with this hymn of praise: I Hymn in Praise of Lakṣmı̄ O [you] who wields the thunderbolt that cleaves the mountain of the pain of the miserable who have come [to you] for refuge, protect us who bow in reverence [before you]. O Lakṣmı̄, o Nārāyaṇı,̄ 906 may homage be paid to you! [53c–54b] After obtaining a slight trace of your compassion, men, even if [they are] lame and blind, rival the gods, beginning with Vidhi. O Nārāyaṇı,̄ may homage be paid to you! [54c–55b] Truly you [are] the Supreme, without you not even Viṣṇu himself, the ancient puruṣa, is able to protect [the world]. O Nārāyaṇı,̄ may homage be paid to you! [55c–56b] You [are] the supreme Śakti, the Lady whose form is that which is expressed and that which expresses,907 truly you [are] the essence of everything. O Nārāyaṇı,̄ may homage be paid to you! [56c–57b] [You are] the power of Brahmā that carries out the creation [of the world], [you are] the strenuous and continued effort of Viṣṇu [to maintain] the prosperity of the earth, [you are] the power of Rudra that destroys [the world].908 Oh Nārāyaṇı,̄ may homage be paid to you! [57c–58b]”909 In answering the gods’ plea for help, the goddess said that the lack of desire in human beings was due to the nature of Time. Then, to console them, Lakṣmı̄ begot a child, who came into existence from her mind: Kāma, a boy of heavenly splendour, destined to fulfil all desires of the gods. After the goddess had disappeared, the gods went to heaven, accompanied by the divine child. At first Indra was doubtful about the powers of the little boy, but recalling that he was the son of Lakṣmı̄, he asked him to fulfil the gods’ wish to be worshipped by human beings. Chapter 13 Kāma, a handsome, five-year-old boy, bearing his bow and arrows, went to the realm of mortals. After having in vain entreated human beings to worship the gods, he engaged in a battle in which he dispersed their ranks with his arrows, shining like the sun freed from the mist of the weapons of his opponents.

Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya  199 As the earth was scattered with the severed bloody limbs of the victims of Kāma, messengers reported his deeds to King Vı̄ravrata, who ruled over the region of Brahmāvarta. The king – the sun of whose glory dispelled the darkness of his enemies – discussed the matter with his ministers; then, advised by his prime minister Vardhana, he decided to propitiate his family preceptor (kulaguru), who was Mahādeva (Śiva) himself, to obtain his help in the fight against Kāma. Chapter 14 ́ After Vı̄ravrata had propitiated Siva by performing ascetic practices and meditation, the god appeared before him, accompanied by Rudrāṇı:̄ shining like crystal, five-faced, four-armed, holding the trident, the skull, the deer and the sword.910 The king paid homage to Śaṅkara with a hymn of praise.911 Pleased with the devotion of Vı̄ravrata, Śiva promised him the victory over Kāma, and granted him to attain, in due time, the state of nearness (samı ̄pya) to himself. In the meantime Kāma reached Brahmāvarta, threatening the inhabitants of the capital city of the kingdom; hence the commander Sudhti, together with the king’s sons, princes Śatruñjaya, Śatruhaṇa, Bhı̄ma and Samaratāpana, equipped an army to fight against him. Before the warriors departed, the family priest (purohita) Vidyāpati blessed them and invoked the protection of Śiva by reciting mantras containing the epithets of the god and directing them to the various body parts of the warriors.912 Chapter 15 On the advice of Nārada, Indra gathered the gods and went to the aid of Kāma. Then began a great battle between the army of men and the troops of the gods. Chapters 16–17 A detailed account of the battle is given: the sons and relatives of King Vı̄ravrata faced the chiefs of the gods. Some extraordinary weapons were used. Citrasena, the Lord of the gandharvas, fought by means of a bewildering magic (mahāmāyā vimohinı ̄) against Prince Bhı̄ma, who hit back with an anti-magical missile (nirmāyasá stra); Agni was defeated by Vı̄rasena, the son of Śatruhaṇa, by means of a water missile (toyāstra) and bound with ropes enchanted by coldness (sı́ ̄tikāmantritadḍharajju); Prince Samaratāpana drove back the troops of Varuṇa with a wind missile (vāyavyāstra), those of Yama with a fire missile (agneyāstra) and the diseases, attendants of the god of Death, with the three names missile (nāmatrayāstra).

200  Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya Chapter 18 After a fierce fight between the commander Sudhti and Indra, the battle ended with the victory of the mortals, and the gods were taken prisoner. Chapter 19 After the chiefs of the gods were captured, Kāma stepped onto the battlefield. He defeated Princes Sá truñjaya, Sá truhaṇa, Bhı̄ma and Samaratāpana, as well as the commander Sudhti. Hence, Raṇadhı̄ra, the son of Sudhti, sent ́ Vı̄rasena, the son of Satruhaṇ a, to call upon king Vı̄ravrata for help. In the meantime, Raṇadhı̄ra himself showed his valour by braving Kāma alone. Chapter 20 After hearing Vı̄rasena’s report, Vı̄ravrata reached the battlefield and confronted Kāma. After a long fight, the king, exhausted, remembered the boon granted by Śaṅkara, and the three-eyed god sent him his trident in the form of an arrow. Upon seeing it, Kāma remembered his mother Lakṣmı̄ and the goddess despatched her messengers to protect him. But as the king fired his blazing arrow against Kāma, the young god, as if burnt by that dart, fell lifeless to the ground and was taken away by the messengers of Lakṣmı̄. The king came back triumphant to his city to celebrate his victory. But, before entering the town, he was advised by his guru Vidyāpati to free the gods who had been taken prisoner and pay homage to them. Then Indra and the other gods blessed him and disappeared. Chapter 21 When Lakṣmı̄ learned from her messengers the outcome of the war and saw that Kāma’s vital power had vanished, she closed her eyes and plunged into a meditation on Tripurā. Then, opening her eyes, she cast glances that showered the nectar of immortality onto her son, and immediately he woke up as if from sleep. Kāma was ashamed of having been defeated by the mortals, but Lakṣmı̄ explained him that he had not been beaten by men but by Śiva himself, and encouraged him to propitiate the Great God. Thereupon Kāma asked her which god he should instead worship in order to overcome Śiva, and Lakṣmı̄ replied that no one was superior to Sadāsí va, even Brahmā and Viṣṇu were subservient to him. To make Kāma understand the nature of the power of Śiva, Lakṣmı̄ again meditated on Tripurā, and the latter sent Gaurı̄ there and then. Gaurı̄ too entreated Kāma to propitiate Śiva, but, since the young god persisted in his plan to wreak revenge, Gaurı̄ cursed him, saying that one day he would be burnt to ashes by Śiva. Unable to bear this curse against her beloved

Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya  201 son, Lakṣmı̄ cursed Gaurı̄, saying that she would be reduced to ashes, following an offence against her spouse.913 In her turn, Gaurı̄ foretold that Lakṣmı̄ would suffer the pain of separation from her husband and would be tormented by her rivals.914 Meanwhile all the gods, beginning with Śiva, Viṣṇu and Brahmā, rushed there. The two goddesses were fighting so vehemently that the whole universe was burnt by the blood flowing out of the heart of Gaurı̄ injured by Lakṣmı̄. Hence Brahmā begged Lakṣmı̄ to spare the worlds and dedicated to her a hymn of praise: II Hymn in Praise of Lakṣmı̄ Triumph o Lakṣmı̄, o great goddess, triumph o supreme Lady of prosperity; triumph o you who dwell in the lotus, o mother, triumph o [you who are] dear to Nārāyaṇa! [78] You [are] the refuge of all beings, [you are] she who dispels fear in the timid. O goddess who destroys the pain of those who bow [before you] in reverence, o Nārāyaṇı,̄ may homage be paid to you! [79] O [you] who remove poverty immediately, thanks only to humility [and] devotion, [I beg you], dispel fear from the world. O Nārāyaṇı,̄ may homage be paid to you! [80] You [are] the mother [and] the protector of beings, dear to Hari [and you are] the destroyer in the form of Rudra.915 O Nārāyaṇı,̄ may homage be paid to you! [81] O [you] who have a lotus face, who dwell in the lotus, who have the colour of lotus filaments, who hold lotuses dear, who have lotus-like feet, o Nārāyaṇı,̄ may homage be paid to you! [82] O [you who are the] personification of compassion, preserve, preserve the world from [evils] beginning with ruin, for pity’s sake protect the Earth. O Nārāyaṇı,̄ may homage be paid to you! [83]916 Then Lakṣmı̄ swallowed the great fire that had arisen from the blood of Gaurı̄, and restored beings to life with the nectar of immortality of her sight. At last, Sarasvatı̄ intervened to pacify the two goddesses, and consoled them saying that, after Kāma was burnt to ashes – following Gaurı̄’s curse – he would eventually be restored to life; moreover, although Lakṣmı̄ was destined to suffer because of her co-wives, and because of the separation from her husband, thereafter she would acquire a new, beautiful form. Chapter 22 Paraśurāma asked Dattātreya to relate in detail the curses that struck Lakṣmı̄ and Gaurı̄, and Dattātreya resumed his narration. Once Lakṣmı̄, offended by the infidelity of Viṣṇu, who was dallying with Bhūmi and Vndā, retreated to the Himālaya, where she transformed herself into the river Padmā. As Padmā, she was cursed by the sage Nārada,

202  Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya

because she had laughed at his attempts to reproduce on his vı ̄ṇā a rāga once played by Sarasvatı̄; the sage condemned her to dry up, until she would be united with Gaṅgā. Then, on the request of Padmā, Nārada narrated in detail the descent of Gaṅgā (gaṅgāvatāraṇa), explaining how the river was none other than a manifested form (vyaktarūpā) of the mahās ́akti. He related how Gaṅgā had descended from the sky – which had been torn by the second of the three steps of Viṣṇu in his form of dwarf, engaged in the fight against the demon Vāsḳ ali – and how finally Gaṅgā was brought to earth by the sage Bhagı̄ratha. In such a way – concluded Dattātreya – Lakṣmı̄ had to suffer because of her rivals. Furthermore, in her incarnation as Sı̄tā, she had to endure the pain of separation from her spouse Rāma. Chapter 23 Dattātreya proceeded with the account of the curse and sacrifice of Gaurı̄. The goddess, reborn as the daughter of Dakṣa, was given in marriage to Śiva by her father. One day Dakṣa celebrated a great sacrifice where he invited all the gods, except Śiva and his wife. Unable to stand the offence against her husband, Gaurı̄ threw herself into the fire and was reduced to ashes. Thus, the curse of Lakṣmı̄ was fulfilled. After listening to the story of Gaurı̄, Paraśurāma wished to learn more about the nature of Gaṅgā. Dattātreya explained that it is Tripurā Kumārı̄ who, taking a threefold form, manifests herself as the river Gaṅgā; the latter takes three courses and, on account of her flowing through heaven, earth, and the lower regions, is called Tripathā.917

Kāma and Tripurā Chapter 24 Paraśurāma asked further questions about how men began to perform sacrifices after the defeat of Kāma, how Śiva was challenged by Kāma, and how the god of love was burnt to ashes by Śiva and then restored to life. Answering the first question, Dattātreya explained that, even after peace was made between gods and mortals, men continued not to make offerings to the gods. Hence Brahmā made Indra Lord of rain, so that human beings had to perform sacrifices to obtain rain. Resuming the story of Kāma, Dattātreya related that, after Gaurı̄ and Lakṣmı̄ were reconciled, Kāma asked his mother to make him all-powerful, in order to defeat Śiva. Lakṣmı̄ made Kāma purify himself in the waters of the Virajā river; then, after having installed an image of Tripurā on a pedestal studded with gems, according to the prescribed method, she worshipped the Goddess and bestowed her grace upon Kāma by reciting Tripurā’s 108 names and describing her wonderful beauty.918 Subsequently

Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya  203 the young god retreated to mount Mandara and, sitting under a Kadamba tree, he meditated on Tripurā and, contemplating her image (mūrti) in the lotus of his heart, he worshipped her mentally, reciting her 108 names.919 After some time Tripurā, taking the form of Lakṣmı̄, appeared before him in a dream, and told him that the mere recitation of her names was fruitless without the knowledge of her mantra. Hence, she revealed to him the vidyā consisting of fifteen syllables,920 which was concealed in the hymn of her 108 names.921 When he awoke, Kāma was perplexed about his dream, but Lakṣmı̄ appeared and encouraged him to practise the vidyā revealed by Tripurā in his dream. Hence Kāma spent three divine years absorbed in her mental recitation.922 Thereafter Tripurā appeared before him in the form in which he had meditated her.923 Chapter 25 Thus [Kāma] saw the Goddess Tripurā, shining like a ruby, adorned with a beautiful diadem studded with excellent gems; [1] with a ray of nectar [flowing from] the crescent [moon placed] on the glittering point of her diadem; her red colour doubled by the vermillion brightness of the gems of her long necklace; [2] luminous with her three eyes [resembling] blue, blown lotuses; the splendour of her sidelong glances was reflected in the gems of her ear ornaments; [3] the pale red colour of her lips and of the pearl on her nose [reverberated] as far as the horizon; the row of her teeth humbled the beauty of the buds of jasmine; [4] her lovely lotus-like face arose from the top of [the stalk] of lotus of her neck. The row of her fingers resembled buds at the tip of her creeperlike delicate arms; [5] the pearls in the waves of her bracelets were variegated by the brightness of her moon-like fingernails; from her string of pearls, [similar to] the fibres of a lotus stalk, her breasts rose like tender lotuses; [6] the three folds [of her belly were] like steps set on the bank of the pond of her navel; [there] her chain of diamonds, [resembling] a lotus stalk, was lying upon the mosslike row of her hair. [7] Her ornaments were shining within the bodice of her garment dyed with safflower; the gems of the girdle around her waist were like stars in the sky of her hips. [8] [She was] endowed with her weapons, the noose, the goad, the flower arrows, and the sugarcane bow. [She was] splendid with a series of gems sewn onto the hem of her garment touching her ankles; [9] her feet were adorned with goose shaped gem anklets and other ornaments. Anointed with saffron, camphor and musk, [she was] wonderfully perfumed; [10] blended with the fragrance of the Kadamba flowers used as her earrings; wearing a garland of blooming lotuses, Bakula flowers and jasmines. [11] She was resplendent, being fanned by Ramā (Lakṣmı̄) and Vāṇı ̄ (Sarasvatı̄) with chowries made from the tails of yaks. [12ab]924

204  Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya Kāma bowed before the Goddess and saluted her with a hymn of praise: Auspicious Hymn [Composed of] Nine Gems I incite Kāmeśvarı̄,925 the corners of whose eyes are full of compassion [and] who, as personification of the origin [of everything], is the unique origin. Truly I do not ever solicit [favours] from any other deity. [17] I solicit [favours] from the Supreme one, who bears in [her] hands the goad, the noose, the flower [-arrows], and the bow. Enough, enough of [beings] called deities, different from the venerable Mother, the Unsurpassed one! [18] The glances of Tripurā, pervaded by waves of compassion, are taken [for refuge by her devotees]. In this world I consider above all the Mother, she who has a unique form. [19] Let there be always for me that which is desired or not desired, thanks to the mother of the trimūrti, she who is without desires. I do not thus take refuge in the multitude of the gods who are different [from her]. [20] Let [her] only always play in my heart, the Goddess who is to be worshipped by the great Lord: Lalitā, the queen worthy of honour. Let no other deity ever be worshipped. [21] Let [her] rejoice me perpetually, she to whose feet the gods beginning with Hari and Hara have resorted for refuge, who is called she who rides a horse, the leader of armies.926 To her I pay homage, may I proclaim [it]! [22] Let [her] always protect me with [her] compassionate glance, she who is endowed with the sugarcane bow and the flower-arrows; the beloved of Kāmeśvara, and no other, is my Lady. [23] Let the great Lady, the Mother, Kāmākṣı ̄ always germinate in [my] heart devotion for her feet; let me never [feel] even the slightest [devotion] for another [deity]. [24] [Since] my heart always honours the lotus-like feet of that omniscient Goddess, let the great Lady be united with my mind. [25]927 When Tripurasundarı̄, pleased by this praise, asked Kāma which boon he desired, the young god answered that the vision (darśana) of her – who was the energy of his own self (svātmaśaktimayı ̄) – was enough to satisfy him. The Goddess replied that, indeed, for he who had attained the knowledge of the Self there was nothing else to be achieved; nevertheless, to show her favour, she gave Kāma a bow and arrows made from her own weapons, granting him invincibility in the three worlds. Before disappearing, she told him that the vidyā which she had taught him in his dream would henceforth be known by the name of Kāma, because he was the first adept who practised it (ādyaḥ upāsakaḥ). She added that the 108 names taught to him by Lakṣmı̄, containing the letters of her

Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya  205 vidyā, and the nine stanzas of the hymn of praise chanted with devotion by him, would bestow happiness on everybody. Hence she called the mantra “Auspicious vidyā” (Saubhāgyavidyā), the hymn of the 108 names “Auspicious Hymn of the 108 Names” (Saubhāgyāsṭ ọ ttaraśatanāmastotra), and the hymn recited by Kāma “Auspicious Hymn [Composed of] Nine Gems” (Saubhāgyanavaratnastotra), because all of them bestowed happiness (saubhāgya) and fulfilled all desires.928 Chapter 26 Paraśurāma asked Dattātreya to teach him the Saubhā gyā sṭ ọ ttaraśatanā mastotra, the receptacle of the gem-like letters of the Śrı̄vidyā,929 originally revealed by Śiva to Bhavānı̄ (Pārvatı̄). Before reciting it, Dattātreya indicated the ṣi who had handed it down (Śiva), the metre in which it was composed ́ ̄lalitāmbikā, “the (the anuṣtụ bh) and the deity to whom it was dedicated (Srı 930 venerable mother Lalitā”). He added that the ritual placing of the vidyā on one’s own body should be made by repeating her three syllabic blocks (kūtạ ), and that the hymn should be recited after having meditated and mentally worshipped the Goddess.931 Auspicious Hymn of the 108 Names of the Goddess Tripurā Kāmeśvarı̄,932 power of desire,933 she who grants happiness in love,934 personification of [fulfilled] desire,935 kāmakalā,936 made of love, she who has the lotus for her throne.937 [11] Lakṣmı̄, beyond imagination, endowed with the lovely divine Energy (kalā),938 she who is to be honoured by Lakṣmı̄ and Sarasvatı̄, she who has regulated the entire cycle of transmigration. [12] The Unsurpassed,939 impeccable,940 infinite, of wonderful shape, born from fire,941 she whose behaviour transcends this world, very beautiful, she who grants all that is very auspicious. [13] Destroyer of evil, very widespread, pleased with worship, of infinite splendour, she who has a unique form, unique heroine, unique Lady, fond of the worship that is devoted exclusively to her. [14] One,942 pleased with an exclusive affection, pure pleasure, fond of those who are devoted exclusively to her, she whose might is ever increasing, she who removes the guilt of [her] fervent devotees. [15] She whose mouth has the fragrance of cardamom,943 she who is like a thunderbolt for the mountain of evil, void of desire, [she who is] desired, she who is to be honoured by [the gods] beginning with the Lord (Īśa i.e. Śiva), the excellent spouse of the Lord (Īśāna i.e. Śiva). [16] ̄ 944 she She who commands the Lord, to be conceived as the letter “I,” who grants the desired fruits, Lady, destroyer of calamities, vision, with slightly red eyes, Lady of the Lord. [17]

206  Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya Lalitā,945 she who has the appearance of a wanton woman,946 free from dissolution, with a shining body, she into whom everything is dissolved, earth of dissolution, she who can be heard in the dissolving of the sound,947 she who has the nature of dissolution. [18] Lightness,948 with a slender waist, playful, light and swift, she who rides a horse, who kills [her] enemies, consort of Hara, praised by Hari. [19] She who fulfils the desires of Hayagrı̄va, she who likes liquor,949 full of ardent desire, thrilling with desire, she whose body glows like the red lotus, she who grants sovereignty to the one who has killed the elephant.950 [20] She whose feet are worshipped by the one who holds a plough in his hand (Balarāma), who shows her favour after the gift of an oblation, worshipped by Viṣṇu and Lakṣmı̄,951 empress,952 beautiful,953 made of sound, Rati.954 [21] Protectress,955 she who gladdens,956 the goddess presiding over the day of the full moon, dear to beautiful young women,957 protectress of ́ the Lord of all the worlds (Siva), destroyer of the troops of rakṣasas. [22] 958 Mother, she who causes death,959 fond of lotuses, she who terrifies Death (Yama), she who takes the form of water, who bears a lotus in her hand, who grants boons to the lotus born (Brahmā). [23] Pleased by the inner worship, appearing in the form of the inner self, consisting of the inner voice, she who sits on the left thigh of the enemy of Yama (Śiva), she who has the form of inner bliss. [24] Omniscient,960 omnipresent,961 essence, always the same, constant happiness, Satı̄,962 continuity, eternal, like Soma (the Moon),963 totality,964 complete enumeration [of the tattvas], primeval. [25]965 Dattātreya told Paraśurāma that the recitation of these 108 names was a duty for the followers of the Śrı̄vidyā: the names had to be recited daily, at the three sandhyās, and during the regular and occasional rites (nitya and naimittika). Then he illustrated the rewards gained through their recitation, from the fulfilment of all desires to dwelling in Srı̄pura, the abode of the goddess Lalitā.966

Gaurı̄ Chapter 26 (continuation) Dattātreya resumed the story of Gaurı̄, relating that, after the Goddess’s self-sacrifice as the daughter of Dakṣa (Dākṣāyaṇı)̄ ,967 she remained in the world in incorporeal form.968 At that time Himālaya was longing for a child. He went to Nārada to ask for advice and the sage told him to propitiate the supreme Śakti to obtain offspring. Himālaya wondered how he might gain her grace, since she who is in the form of letters (varṇarūpā) was incomprehensible, secret and beyond speech. Nārada explained that, in her subtle form, Tripurā

Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya  207 was indeed unintelligible by speech etc.; only the great yogins knew her supreme form, dwelling in themselves and in all things. He therefore suggested that Himālaya meditate on her gross form, i.e. Gaurı̄, the spouse of the merciful Śiva, she who has the form of her mantra (vidyārūpā), and who might fulfil his desire. Nārada described Gaurı̄ as she who was manifested from the Vaiṣṇava aspect of the supreme Śakti (parās ́akter viṣnṿ aṃs ́a): she was blue-hued, seated on a lion, three-eyed, moon-crowned, bearing in her lotus-like hands the sword, the shield, the trident, and the club. Himālaya was advised to propitiate her, so that the goddess – who had died because of her love for Śiva – might give up her incorporeal form, to be reborn as his own child; then one day Himālaya would once again give her in marriage to Śiva. Chapter 27 To demonstrate the greatness of Gaurı̄, Nārada narrated to Himālaya one of her deeds. Once the demon Tārakeya won supremacy over the gods and the worlds. Indrāṇı,̄ tormented by this demon who was forcing her to marry him, resorted to the advice of Bhaspati. At his suggestion, she made a cult image of Gaurı̄ and worshipped her by reciting her 108 names and repeating her mantra. Pleased by the devotion of Śacı̄, who intended to offer her own body as oblation in the fire pit, Gaurı̄ appeared, mounted on her formidable lion. After a fierce fight against Tārakeya, she managed to free the worlds from that wicked demon, defeating him with the help of Mahākālı̄, born out of her anger. In the end she granted Indrāṇı ̄ her desired boon: just as she had protected her, in the same way, by reciting her 108 names, all those in trouble would henceforth be saved. Chapter 28 Paraśurāma requested that Dattātreya teach him the hymn of the 108 names of Gaurı̄, revealed by Bhaspati to Śacı̄. Dattātreya indicated the ṣi who had handed it down (Aṅgiras), the metre in which it was composed (the anuṣtụ bh), the deity to which it was dedicated (Gaurı̄) and the boon that it was deemed to grant (the destruction of distress). Then he added that, after the ritual placing of the bı ̄jamantras (Hrı ̄ṁ etc.) on one’s own body, one should recite this hymn and meditate on Gaurı̄ in her outward appearance: seated on a lion, dark blue-hued, wearing a garment dyed with safflower, bearing the sword, the shield, the trident, and the club, mooncrowned, three-eyed,969 Hymn of the 108 Names of Gaurı̄ Gaurı̄, mother of cattle, knowledge, Śivā, goddess, great Lady, younger sister of Nārāyaṇa, curved [under the weight of her] ornaments, she whose might is praised. [9]

208  Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya

́ Three-eyed, she who has a triple topknot, joined with Sambhu, adorned with the moon, she who bears a spear in her hand, who remembers what [she has] heard, who grants auspiciousness, who has the nature of auspiciousness. [10] Umā, venerable, night, she whose eyes are the Moon, the Sun and the Fire, whose earrings are the Moon and the Sun, whose two breasts are the Moon and the Sun. [11] Mother, little mother, she who bears a lotus, who is in the form of water, invigorating, resolute, dear to Śiva, standing at Śiva’s side, beautiful, destroyer of Śumbha. [12] She who bears a sword in her hand, moving in space, who bears a shield, she whose form is like transparent space,970 whose garment is dyed with safflower, who likes the safflower, whose teeth are similar to jasmine flowers. [13] Kālı̄, she who bears skulls, cruel, she who bears a sword in her hand, [energy of] action,971 desirable, virgin, crooked, mother of Skanda, Lady [of the Tantric tradition] of the Kula. [14] Spouse of the merciful one (Śiva), fawn-eyed, with a tender and delicate body, she who loves forest animals, worshipped by [the sage] Mkaṇḍu, she who likes intoxicating liquor,972 praised by the troops of the Mother [Goddesses].973 [15] Mother [Goddess],974 the earth, [associated] with mental disease, with captivating eyes, personification of joy, she who causes joy, who is to be meditated by the sages, Manonmanı̄.975 [16] She who dwells on the mountain, who is to be worshipped on the [appropriate] occasions, supreme, she who grants the highest knowledge, superior to the Supreme, consisting of reflective awareness,976 she who is all that is developed. 977 [17] She who is to be honoured by the one who bears the noose (Yama), dear to the Lord of the animals, praised by the Lord of the animals,978 Visionary Word, she whose form is the supreme Consciousness, she who removes censure, supreme. [18] Omniscient, she who takes all forms, She, prosperity, good fortune, eminent, she who wards off misfortune, easily accessible to [her] devotees, all compassion. [19] Endowed with kalā(s), the origin of kalā(s), she whose body is made of kalā(s),979 who is to be honoured by the troops of the gods, Lady of the troops of the gods, motion [and] non-motion. [20] Lady, spouse of the Lord (Iś̄ āna i.e. Śiva), Śakti, she who removes guilt, abiding in the pı ̄ṭhas, whose forms [abide in] the pı ̄ṭhas,980 who is to be worshipped by [offering] water, made of light. [21] Great māyā, she who holds elephants dear,981 who is world and nonworld, spouse of Śiva. [22ab]982

Dattātreya concluded that the recitation of the 108 names of Gaurı̄ granted the removal of distress, the fulfilment of desires and, eventually, liberation.

Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya  209 Continuing his narrative, he related that Himālaya performed ascetic practices to obtain Gaurı̄ as his daughter. He meditated, worshipped her, and repeated her names, until Gaurı̄ appeared before him. But when he expressed his wish, the goddess told him that she would not take a corporeal form. Thereafter Himālaya endured such severe austerities that the universe was burning with the fire of his asceticism. Hence the gods, led by Viṣṇu, persuaded Gaurı̄ to fulfil his desire, reminding her that her rebirth as the daughter of Himālaya was in compliance with the will of Tripurā.

Marriage of Pār vatı̄ and Śiva Chapter 29 While consenting to take a corporeal form, Gaurı̄ told Himālaya that, if he were to treat her as his child, he would forget her divine nature. She then entered the womb of Menakā, and in due course, Himālaya’s spouse gave birth to a daughter.983 At first, the girl showed herself to her father in her divine appearance, with three eyes and four hands holding all her attributes, and Himālaya saluted her with a hymn of praise: Hymn in Praise of Gaurı̄ Homage o goddess [who are] to be worshipped by the Lord of the gods, the Lord of the world, homage o Gaurı̄, o you who destroy the pain of [your] devotees, homage o you who are the unique cause of the multitude of the worlds. Homage to you, homage to you, homage to you, o Bhavānı̄! [24] In the form of the supreme Śakti of Śiva, you are one, [you are] the thread of the net of the worlds, omnipresent; [though] multiform, you have a unique form: the meaning of the unique syllable.984 Homage to you, homage to you, homage to you, o Bhavānı̄! [25] Who, other than you, is capable of rescuing [those] devotees [who are] immersed in the deep and terrible ocean of worldly existence? Hence rescue me [who am] unhappy! Homage to you, homage to you, homage to you, o Bhavānı̄! [26] O [goddess full of] tender compassion, knowing that [I am] trapped in the jaws of the great shark of ignorance, bitten by the great serpent of desire for the objects of the senses, it is not right to delay [my rescue]. Homage to you, homage to you, homage to you, o Bhavānı̄! [27] At last, your foot that liberates from the noose of sorrow is here to precisely extinguish my sorrow. Thus [he who] within himself is judging rightly, always says: homage to you, homage to you, homage to you, o Bhavānı̄! [28]985 The king of the mountain asked the goddess to take the form of a child, so that he might love her with fatherly affection. Gaurı̄ fulfilled his desire, but in compliance with what she had said, she made him forget her

210  Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya original divine form. The rituals connected with the birth and the naming ceremony were performed and, on account of her golden hue, she was called Gaurı̄. The girl grew up in Himālaya’s home and, when the time came to choose a suitable match for her, her father asked the advice of the sage Garga. Through his inner sight, the latter recognized in her the supreme Gaurı̄ and told the king that his daughter was the goddess Bhavānı̄ whom he had once worshipped, and that she was destined to become the spouse of Śiva. Himālaya then remembered the past and made up his mind to give her to Śiva. But later, Nārada arrived and, claiming that Śiva was an unsuitable husband, because of his ascetic habits and his living in the cremation grounds, he persuaded Himālaya to give Gaurı̄ in marriage to Viṣṇu. Chapter 30 After learning of her father’s intentions, Gaurı̄ sought refuge in a forest on the slopes of the Himālaya. Reaching a cave near the banks of the Ganges, she fashioned a sand image of Tripurā seated on the thigh of Kāmeśvara; then, at night, she worshipped the Goddess, offering her the prescribed services (upacāra) of perfumes, flowers and fruits, and praising her with both Vedic and Tantric hymns. Next morning, she paid homage to Tripurā with this hymn of praise: Hymn that is a Bud of Knowledge986 ́ , o Goddess, your own form is the Self of the ocean of nectar of O Sivā Consciousness; your form, one and the same, is the Self in all [beings]. Nothing exists in the world without your limitative power (kalā ), thus you are the actual form of being, in what is real and also in what is not real. [17] Some maintain that all this [universe] is beyond duality; others that it [has the character] of duality, [and is thus] real and yet not real. These people, bewildered by your māyā, do not know you. You alone, in the form of consciousness and bliss, you are everything. [18] Some assert that [your] form is changed by the course of time, limited by the earth and so on, nothing but darkness; these ignorant people do not know you, the great Lady, whose nature is pacified and whose form is composed of darkness and light. [19] [You are] she in whose body appears, like a painting on canvas, the manifold series of tattvas from Śiva to earth; in the same way the sky with the moon and the stars [appear] in the water. You alone, the Supreme one, you are everything. [20] Everything that appears, the one or the manifold, the external or the internal, even light or darkness, nothing exists without you, Consciousness. Thus you [are] everything, [there is] nothing else but you. [21] You alone manifest yourself in the form of consciousness and bliss for the great yogins who stand firm on the ground of the intellect, after

Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya  211 having controlled [their] internal organs, eliminated [the urging of] the senses and abandoned all passion, beginning with desire. [22] So others too, the lords among the great yogins, even though they have not controlled their mind and their sense organs in that way, being wakeful, see all things shining manifest as in a mirror in the nectar of their own consciousness. [23] Simple-natured people do not find their way on the most valuable and very narrow path [that has been] mentioned. To rescue these beings, you take manifold, outward, gross form[s], intelligible to [their] eyes. [24] For their worship you have established many diverse ways. Now, by whichever [of these] ways, after having granted [these forms of yours to your devotees], you endow [them] with your own nature, as the ocean makes its own the waters of the rivers which enter it. [25] As the head [is the uppermost part] for the bodies, so the most important among these many forms [of yours] is the figure endowed with bow, arrows, noose, and goad. [For] those who adore that form of Tripurā, [that] is always the best one. [26] Desirous of rescuing beings from the ocean of sorrow, after having shown many, excellent ways [of salvation], you are celebrated for your tender compassion. Indeed, you alone, who have the form of the supreme Śakti, are to be worshipped. [27] Let the bee of my mind, sipping the nectar [that flows] from your lotus-like feet, be forever liberated from worldly desires. O mother, having listened to my prayer, please grant me soon even only a fleeting glance [full] of tender compassion! [28]987 After reciting this hymn, Gaurı̄ began to meditate on Tripurā; when she became one with the object of her meditation, the Goddess appeared before her. Endowed with all her attributes, she was seated on the left thigh of Kāmeśvara, in the Śrı̄cakra chariot, accompanied by Lakṣmı̄ and Sarasvatı̄. Seeing that Gaurı̄ was absorbed in meditation, Tripurā appointed her s ́akti Cittākarṣiṇı ̄ (“She who captivates the heart”) to awaken the young girl. Then, after hearing from Gaurı̄ the reason for her grief, she accorded her the grace of marrying Śiva. Moreover, pleased by her homage, Tripurā said that the hymn of praise recited by Gaurı̄, containing the Śākta doctrine, would henceforth be known as “Hymn that is a Bud of Knowledge” (Jñānakālikāstotra). Chapter 31 Meanwhile Himālaya, worried about the absence of his daughter, set out in search of her. Following the North-eastern direction taken by Gaurı̄, he eventually found her on the banks of the Ganges. He learned that the reason for her escape was her refusal to marry Viṣṇu – who was her own brother – and her determination to marry Śiva. At first, he remarked that Śiva was

212  Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya auspicious only by name, his nature and appearance being inauspicious, whereas Viṣṇu was full of good qualities. But seeing his daughter’s firmness of purpose, in the end he reluctantly gave her his consent to marry Śiva. This decision provoked the anger of Nārada, who summoned Viṣṇu’s chief attendant, Vijaya. The latter arrived, defeated Himālaya and took him prisoner. Then Menakā and Gaurı̄ took refuge with Kaśyapa. Chapter 32 Answering the prayers of Kaśyapa and Menakā, Gaurı̄ took her divine form and, riding the lion, faced the attendants of Viṣnu ̣ . Her anger produced the terrible, flaming-mouthed (Jvālāmukhı̄) goddess Aruṇa,̄ who arose out of her body: she was as terrifying as the Night of Death, endowed with three heads and three eyes, bearing a trident and a sword, and emitting an awful roar. When Viṣṇu arrived, riding Garuḍa and hurling his disc Sudarśana, Aruṇā burnt both Sudarśana and Garuḍa with her trident. Then she swallowed Viṣṇu himself, who disappeared into her fiery jaws. Gaurı̄ asked her to spit him out, but when Aruṇā obeyed her, the flames coming out of her mouth threatened to burn the whole universe. Hence Gaurı̄, yielding to the pleading of the gods, secluded Aruṇā – who was the embodiment of the destructive power of Rudra – in a mountain and tasked her with the destruction of the universe at doomsday. Finally, having revived Visṇu together with his attendants, and freed Himālaya, she resumed her form of a young girl. Himālaya paid homage to Viṣṇu, begging his pardon for not giving him his daughter in marriage. Then Brahmā himself arranged the wedding between Gaurı̄/Pārvatı̄ and Śiva and, with the help of Tvaṣt̣ , he made the necessary preparations. At first Śiva showed himself in his awesome aspect, accompanied by his attendants; then, as Himālaya was dismayed at his sight, Brahmā requested the great Lord to assume his benevolent, handsome form. Hence Śiva appeared as attractive and handsome as crores of gods of love and the wedding was celebrated under the best auspices. Chapter 33 Paraśurāma asked Dattātreya to narrate how Viṣṇu regained his disc. After Sudarśana had been burnt by Aruṇā, Viṣṇu was challenged by the demon Mura. Unable to defeat him without his weapon, Viṣṇu went to the Himālayan abode of Jvālāmukhı̄ and propitiated her by performing ascetic practices. After one thousand divine years, the goddess appeared before him: since she was born out of the anger of Gaurı̄, she was terrifying, blazing like crores of suns, red-hued, with three heads, bearing a sword and a trident, wearing a garland of skulls, with huge flames continuously arising from her eyes, ears and nose. Viṣṇu praised her with wonderful secret hymns, and Jvālāmukhı̄, pleased by his perseverance, gave him a new disc produced out of her own weapons and even more powerful than

Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya  213 the original Sudarśana. Hence Viṣṇu, with this invincible disc, managed to defeat the demon Mura. Resuming the narration about Gaurı̄, Dattātreya related that, after departing from the home of Himālaya, the divine couple reached mount Kailāsa, where Śiva devoted himself to his ascetic practices. After some time, the demons Tāraka and Śūrapadma acquired great power over the worlds, threatening the supremacy of the gods. Indra asked Brahmā for help and the latter said that only a son born from Śiva and Pār vatı̄ would be able to defeat those demons. Therefore, since Śiva was deeply absorbed in meditation, Indra and the gods propitiated Gaurı̄ and induced her to approach his spouse, in order to conceive the son who would save the universe.

Origin of the Cult of the Sí valiṅga Chapter 34 Gaurı̄ explained to Indra that she was not able to conceive a child, because of a curse put upon her when she was a young girl: for having once disturbed a couple of mating deer – who were in fact two brāhmans transformed into deer – she was cursed by the male deer to be issueless. Moreover, Śiva too had been struck by a curse, according to which he could generate children only with his own wife. Regarding Śiva, Gaurı̄ narrated how, at the beginning of the tretāyuga, the brāhmans had acquired supremacy over the gods, thanks to the power of their asceticism. Responding to the gods’ call for help, Śiva took the form of a handsome young man, went to the forest where the brāhmans were living and, in their absence, he seduced their wives. When the sages came back and, by virtue of their insight, understood what had happened, they put a double curse upon Śiva: he would henceforth become like a eunuch for the wives of others; furthermore, for having outraged the brāhmans’ women, his phallus (liṅga) would fall off his body.988 ́ Since the fall of Siva’s liṅga threatened to destroy the Earth, Viṣnu ̣ took the form of a female organ (yoni) to hold it up, and Brahmā took the form of a pedestal (pı ̄ṭha) to sustain them both. The liṅga split the yoni with its impact and entered the pı ̄ṭha, so that Brahmā and Viṣnu ̣ were hardly able to hold it; hence, to prevent the Earth from caving in under the weight of the liṅga, ́ a to support her. Afterwards, to appease Viṣnu ̣ took the form of the serpent Seṣ ́ the anger of Siva, which was burning the whole universe, Brahmā appeared in ́ ́ that henceforth the form of a phallus on the body of Siva. Then Viṣnu ̣ told Siva his fallen liṅga would be worshipped and he paid homage to it. Once pacified, Śiva established that henceforward he would be worshipped in the form of the liṅga, and not otherwise, Viṣṇu in the form of the yoni and Brahmā in the form of the pı ̄ṭha, and their triad would be known as the fourth form of Parameśvara.

214  Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya Chapter 35 To propagate the cult of the liṅga in the world, Śiva appealed to Tripurā. Duly propitiated, the Goddess appeared before him in her playful form (lı ̄lāvigrahadhāriṇı ̄). To fulfil his wish, she declared that henceforth every form of Śiva would be subsumed under the liṅga, and liṅga worship would please the trimūrti, along with the fourth deity, Maheśvara; the gods themselves, beginning with Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Śambhu and Sadāsí va would forever worship the liṅga. Furthermore, for her own devotees, liṅga worship would become mandatory, granting the final dwelling in her own abode (sālokya). Whoever worshipped Tripurā in a Śrı̄cakra painted on a liṅga would obtain great rewards, because the Śrı̄cakra painted on top of a liṅga was to be regarded as the best of all yantras; its adoration made devotion to any other deity superfluous, because the liṅga was a form of the trimūrti, which was itself the origin of all gods. Finally, Tripurā revealed another secret: since it indicated the state of dissolution, the liṅga was the supreme Śiva, and because it was the cause of everything, the liṅga was another form of herself.989 Thus, Gaurı̄ concluded her narrative digression about the curse of Śiva and the origin and diffusion of the cult of the liṅga. She then suggested to Indra to send Kāma to Śiva, to divert him from his ascesis and induce him to approach her for generating the child who would defeat the demons and save the world. Thereupon, having heard the plea made by Indra, Kāma was at first worried about the curse that Gaurı̄ had once put upon him,990 according to which he would be burnt to ashes by Śiva; his spouse Ratı̄ also tried to dissuade him from confronting the great divine ascetic. Hence Kāma resorted to his mother, Lakṣmı̄. She encouraged him to go to Śiva, advising him to remember Tripurā and to recite her vidyā while approaching him; then she consoled the grieving Ratı̄ and took her to her own abode.

Kāma and Tripurā/Kāmākṣı ̄ Chapter 36 Before approaching Śiva, Kāma reached the banks of the Ganges and began to meditate on Tripurā. As the Goddess appeared before him, Lakṣmı̄ also arrived, praying to Tripurā to save her son from the curse of Gaurı̄. Tripurā answered that, since Kāma was the best among her devotees, he was not likely to die; even if burnt to ashes by Śaṅkara, he would subsequently acquire a new body. Hence, she looked at Kāma, attracted and absorbed him into her eyes, so that thereafter Tripurā became known in the world as Kāmākṣı.̄ 991 Merged into her, Kāma was as if immersed in deep sleep. Then, as his body fell to the ground, crores and crores of Kāmas arose from the pores of his skin and flew all around, and Tripurā directed them to arouse desire in living beings. Afterwards she made the body of Kāma rise and, calling

Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya  215 that body Kāma, she endowed it with his magical weapons and sent it to Śiva. After Kāma darted a flower-like arrow towards the great ascetic, to divert him from his meditation, he was burnt by the fire radiating from Śiva’s third eye.992

Birth of Skanda Chapter 37 Solicited by Paraśurāma, Dattātreya continued with his narration. After Kāma was reduced to ashes, Brahmā entreated Śiva to beget the child who would save the universe by defeating the demons Tāraka and Śūrapadma. Śiva eventually consented and united with Pārvatı̄; one thousand divine years passed, yet he could not beget a child because he was holding his semen. In fact, the fiery energy of his semen, which had accumulated during a long period of ascetic practices, was so powerful that its emission would have destroyed the whole universe. Nevertheless, at Brahmā’s request, Śiva interrupted his prolonged sexual intercourse and discharged his semen, which fell to the ground. The Earth, unable to bear its power, caught fire. Then Brahmā ordered Agni to hold it, but even fire was not capable of bearing its power, so Brahmā told Agni to throw it into the Ganges. Since Gaṅgā too was burning up, Brahmā ordered her to put the semen into the grove of Śara reeds growing at the foot of mount Kailāsa. Brahmā explained that formerly, by the agency of a demon called Bhasmāsura, Gaurı̄ had to suffer the separation from Śiva, and her body was rent asunder; the grove of Śara reeds had grown from the parts of her dismembered body fallen in this place. For this reason, the grove, which was partaking of the nature of the goddess, would be able to hold the semen of Śiva. Thus, from the semen grew a youth (kumāra) and since Agni, Gaṅgā, Pārvatı̄ and Śiva in turn all claimed this child as his/her own, Brahmā gave him four names: Agnibhū (“Born from fire”), Gāṅgeya (“Son of Gaṅgā”), Pārvatı̄nandana (“Son of Pārvatı̄”) and Skanda (“Born from the effusion of [Śiva’s] semen”). Then Brahmā entrusted him to be nursed by the six Pleiads (Kttikā), so that he was also called Kārttikeya; since the Kttikās were competing to breast-feed the baby, in order not to disappoint any of them, the child was endowed with six mouths, thereby taking the name of Ṣaṇmukha. Later, honoured by all the gods who gave him their own weapons, Skanda challenged Indra himself, and eventually, after becoming the chief of the army of the gods, he defeated the demons Tāraka and Śūrapadma. Dattātreya concluded his narrative by relating how, in a previous life, Skanda had been a brāhman who had propitiated Agni to defeat the demons. Later, this brāhman was reborn as the sage Sanatkumāra, the son of Brahmā. Once Sanatkumāra dreamt of killing many demons and, unable to understand his dream, he questioned his father; Brahmā reminded him of the goal he had set out to achieve during his former life, adding that

216  Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya his dream would come true when he was reborn according to his own will. One day Śiva and Pārvatı̄ met Sanatkumāra; full of admiration for his calmness and indifference to good or evil, they asked him to become their son. Sanatkumāra gave his consent but, since he had vowed not to be reborn from a womb, he was born as Skanda from the Śara reed grove, as if this were the body of Pārvatı̄.993

Bhāratı̄ Chapter 38 The narration of the episodes related to Gaurı̄/Pārvatı̄ having concluded, Dattātreya told the story of Bhāratı̄ (Sarasvatı̄), known as Sāvitrı̄, sister of Śiva and spouse of Brahmā. Once, during a dispute Brahmā withdrew Sāvitrı̄’s privilege to be worshipped at his side during the sacrifices. Since he was not treating her as a wife, Sarasvatı̄ cursed him, saying that one day a woman born in the Ā bhı̄ra tribe of cowherds would be his wife, staying at his side during the sacrifices. Viṣnu ̣ ́ tried to reconcile the couple, saying that Sarasvatı̄ herself would be and Siva reborn in the Ā bhı̄ra tribe, so that she could become Brahmā’s spouse. After some time, Brahmā decided to perform a great sacrifice and invited ṣi s and gods; at the auspicious time he summoned Sāvitrı̄, but the goddess did not come. Since he was not able to complete the rituals without his wife, he asked Viṣṇu to obtain a suitable spouse for him. Viṣṇu found a young cowherdess resembling Sarasvatı̄, Brahmā married her and was thus able to carry on the sacrifice. Full of indignation, Sarasvatı̄ withdrew to the peak of a mountain. The fire of her wrath blazed up at the site of the sacrifice, threatening to burn the whole world. As the gods approached her, with the intention of seeking conciliation, the śaktis produced from her anger took them prisoner in a cave. After several failed attempts at placating her, Lakṣmı̄ and Pārvatı̄ invoked Tripurā. When the Goddess appeared, her sole presence extinguished the fire of the anger of Sāvitrı̄. The latter reabsorbed the śaktis born from her fury and once pacified, she bowed before Tripurā and paid homage to her. After the gods were freed, Tripurā encouraged Sāvitrı̄ to reunite with Brahmā and complete the sacrifice, but Sāvitrı̄ said that her sole wish was to settle there and meditate on the lotus-like feet of Tripurā. Chapter 39 Thereafter Tripurā narrated the story of the young cowherdess. Once a brāhman called Haryakṣa propitiated Sāvitrı̄ by performing ascetic practices on mount Supārśva. When the goddess appeared before him, he begged her to free him from a curse put upon him by Nārada, to the effect that he would be reborn as a cowherd for having once ravished a young cowherdess. Sāvitrı̄ said that she could not undo the curse, but she granted

Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya  217 that, as a cowherd, he would beget a daughter sharing her own nature and a son sharing the nature of Viṣṇu. Tripurā explained that, since this young cowherdess was born from a share (aṃs ́a) of Sāvitrı̄, she had to be worshipped as Gāyatrı̄, the source and essence of the Veda, the knowledge of brahman. Therefore, Sāvitrı̄ acknowledged that this cowherdess was her own double, a reflection (pratibimba) of herself, and recovered her peace of mind. Addressing all the gods, Tripurā added that this Gāyatrı̄ was born from herself in the form of her speech; by attaining her, who is made of letters (varṇa), brāhmans, kṣatriyas and vaiśyas are called twice-born. After saying this, Tripurā entered Gāyatrı̄ and the latter, partaking of the nature of Tripurā, appeared to the gods as three-eyed, four-armed, bearing Tripurā’s attributes. The gods bowed before her and contemplated her.994 Afterwards the Goddess addressed the chief of the cowherds, saying that she – whose threefold form was composed of Sāvitrı̄, Gāyatrı̄ alias Bhāratı̄ and Kātyāyanı̄ – was now reborn as his daughter in the form of Bhāratı̄. In a future rebirth, when he would be reborn as the cowherd Nanda, she would be reborn as his daughter Kātyāyanı̄, and Viṣṇu-Nārāyaṇa would be reborn as her brother in the cowherd’s family. Then in the Kaliyuga she would dwell in the Vindhya mountains and, duly worshipped by the cowherdesses, she would fulfill all their desires. Then Sāvitrı̄ remained on the mountain and Brahmā, along with Gāyatrı̄, performed the sacrifice. Chapter 40 Paraśurāma asked Dattātreya how the gods praised Tripurā joined with Gāyatrı̄, resplendent with the limbs of her body made of the seed-syllables. Dattātreya revealed the hymn of praise with which the gods paid homage to Tripurā, after having contemplated her as made of words, having the nature of the entire knowledge about the phonemes and their mother-energy: Hymn in Praise of the Mother-Energy of the Phonemes995 Triumph, triumph o Goddess, o [you] who have the form of the supreme and non-supreme [state]! Triumph, triumph o Mother of the worlds! Triumph, triumph o [you] who, thanks to [your] divine play, appear in a form consisting of parts! Triumph, triumph in [your] form giving shelter to all! Triumph, triumph o [you] who causes the destruction of all [the universe]! Triumph, triumph in [your] form that is present in all things! Triumph, triumph o [you] whose body is playfully manifested thanks to [your] knowledge! Triumph, triumph o Śaṅkarı̄, protect us! [11] O [you] who are an ocean of thick nectar of consciousness and happiness within the becoming of the various qualities, actions and rebirths, o [you] who in the form of Supreme Word, infinite, appear in the mūlādhāracakra, [you who] are liberation; o [you] who take on

218  Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya the desired state thanks to your free will, o [you] who as the Visionary Word dwell in the maṇipuracakra. Triumph, triumph o [you] whose body is playfully manifested thanks to [your] knowledge! Triumph, triumph o Śaṅkarı̄, protect us! [12] Furthermore, you are transforming yourself into intermediate states, different from the Self which is made of knowledge. O [you] who in the form of Intermediate Word dwell in the anāhatacakra, [you] having a mixed form, [you] made of intellect; o [you] who in the manifest state, as eightfold energy are various and have multiple seats. Triumph, triumph o [you] whose body is playfully manifested thanks to [your] knowledge! Triumph, triumph o Śaṅkarı̄, protect us! [13] Transforming [your] body, which is pure, non-dual Consciousness, into [an embodiment of the] state of duality, [you have become] tenfold, although the [divine] couple [of which you were originally part] had [already] been separated by the arrow-like rays [emanated] from the [radiant] face of the Unsurpassed one. [You are] the first one, yet, due to [your] mutual union, [you have become] the fourfoldness. Triumph, triumph o [you] whose body is playfully manifested thanks to [your] knowledge! Triumph, triumph o Śaṅkarı̄, protect us! [14] Finally, also as a result of the division into duality and non-duality, [you] take the form of the sixteen vowels. [Moreover, you are] the original group of five that is fivefold. Due to the union of opposites [which is in you, you are] threefold. Furthermore, [you are] fourfold, devoid of a middle part, creating two pairs [of yourself]. Triumph, triumph o [you] whose body is playfully manifested thanks to [your] knowledge! Triumph, triumph o Śaṅkarı̄, protect us! [15] Thus, you, the Mother, queen of knowledge, richly endowed with various delightful ornaments, you, made of Word, manifest the whole [universe] divided into parts because of its divisions. If [it was] not divided by means of your limitative power, this whole [universe] would be like the [undifferentiated] sky. Triumph, triumph o [you] whose body is playfully manifested thanks to [your] knowledge! Triumph, triumph o Śaṅkarı̄, protect us! [16] O mother, if even the three worlds would not exist without your limitative power, also the supreme abode, if deprived of parts, would be a curse and nothing else. After pervading the reality thus shaped, by withdrawing your limitative power, you always shine manifest. Triumph, triumph o [you] whose body is playfully manifested thanks to [your] knowledge! Triumph, triumph o Śaṅkarı̄, protect us! [17] We [who are] engaged here in the world in [our] tasks beginning with creation, arisen from your lotus-like feet, are now sinking into distress because, not knowing you, we are afraid of you. Triumph, triumph o Śaṅkarı̄, protect us who, fearful, confused, very afflicted, prostrate ourselves always at your feet. Triumph, triumph o [you] whose body is playfully manifested thanks to [your] knowledge! [18]

Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya  219 You [are] intelligence, the goddess of Speech, Bhāratı̄, knowledge, the Mother, Sarasvatı̄, Brāhmı̄, māyā, consisting of letters and sounds, supreme, first, action, imperishable. [19] Different, free from differences, unborn, limitative power, consisting of sound, ritual act, power of time, taking all forms, Śivā, revelation, the Unsurpassed one. [20] Protect us, you, o great Goddess, o great Lady of all worlds, protect us who have fallen at your feet! O Goddess, may homage be paid to you! [21]996 Pleased by this eulogy, Tripurā named this hymn, arisen from phonemes and letters and containing secret meanings, Mātkāstuti. Then she illustrated to the gods the benefits resulting from its recitation: she would manifest herself as literary talent and learning in the heart of he who would recite this hymn at the three auspicious time of the day; moreover, he who would recite her twenty-four names (contained in verses 19–21) would acquire a sharp intelligence capable of understanding subtle meanings.997 Afterwards Dattātreya detailed the circumstances of the rebirth of Gāyatrı̄ in the home of Nanda. Once the demons took on the appearance of human beings and acquired supremacy over the Earth. The demon Kālanemi was reborn as Kaṃsa, son of Ugrasena of the lunar dynasty, in the town of Mathurā; Hiraṇyakaśipu was reborn as Śiśupāla in the lineage of Cedi, Hiraṇyākṣa as Dantavakra, and so on. Oppressed by the yoke of the demons, Bhūmi, together with Brahmā and the other gods, turned to Viṣṇu and Śiva. The latter evoked Tripurā and the Goddess, while exhorting the gods to descend on earth among human beings to defeat the demons, announced her own rebirth as the daughter of Nanda and Viṣṇu’s rebirth as the son of Vasudeva. Accordingly, Kṣṇa was born as the child of Vasudeva and Devakı̄.998 Thereafter Vasudeva went to the home of Nanda and Yaśodā, who had begot a daughter: shining like crores of suns, three-eyed, moon-crowned, bearing in her eight hands the trident, the sword, the knife, the axe, the liquor- and water-vessels, the shield, and the noose, her aspect was as fearful as the night of all-destroying Time, and she was called Kālarātri. In fact, it was Tripurā herself, who then took on the appearance of a little girl, so that Vasudeva could lead her to his home.999 Later, Kaṃsa tried to kill her, but she managed to escape and, assuming her original form, she foretold the death of the demon at the hands of Kṣṇa. Then, empowered by the Goddess who had entered him, Kṣṇa killed Kaṃsa. Subsequently the young cowherdesses, who were all in love with Kṣṇa, asked the sage Kātyāyana how they might enjoy his company. The sage resorted to Kālarātri, and the goddess said that, if the cowherdesses propitiated Kātyāyanı̄, their desires would be fulfilled. Requested by Paraśurāma, Dattātreya described the vow devoted to Kātyāyanı̄, to be practised by women only, in the Māgaśır̄ ṣa month. He explained that the devotees should fashion and worship an idol of the

220  Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya goddess made of sand; they should then chant the names of Kṣṇa and the goddess and feed a cow along with her calf. By fulfilling this vow, women would attain happiness and prosperity.1000

Kātyātanı̄ Chapter 41 Dattātreya narrated the deeds of Kātyāyanı̄. After having defeated Kaṃsa, Kṣṇa went to the town of Dvārakā. In the meantime, the demons Śumbha and Niśumbha entered the district of Gokula and took Nanda and the cowherdesses prisoner. Yaśodā called Kātyāyana for help and, as the sage made her realize that Kātyāyanı̄ was her own daughter, Yaśodā begged the goddess to protect the land of the cowherds. Kātyāyanı̄ stepped in, released Nanda and the cowherdesses, then fought and repulsed the demons. Śumbha took shelter in the Ganges and Niśumbha in a cave in the Vindhya mountains; but the goddess, taking a threefold form, managed to find and kill the two demons and to defeat their army. Then the gods asked her to remain, in her triple form, in the Vindhya mountains, to protect the world during the Kaliyuga.1001

Caṇḍikā Chapter 42 On the request of Paraśurāma, Dattātreya narrated the story of Śumbha and Niśumbha, who were born in the lineage of Madhu and Kaiṭabha. Thanks to their asceticism, these two demons had obtained from Brahmā a boon to the effect that they would never be defeated by any male; they acquired a great power over heaven and earth and usurped the sovereignty and the prerogatives of the gods. After enduring their domination at length, Indra and the gods asked Brahmā for help, and the latter, accompanied by Śiva and Viṣṇu, went to the banks of the Ganges to propitiate Tripurā, the only one capable of defeating these demons. As a sign of her favour, Tripurā sent Gaurı̄ to the aid of the gods. Gaurı̄ became Kālı̄, out of her fierce anger, then from her body she emanated a śakti who was a portion (aṃs ́a) of Tripurā and who promised to help Gaurı̄/ Kālı̄ to defeat the demons. Since she had arisen from the wrath of Gaurı̄, she was called Caṇḍikā. Thereafter Caṇḍa and Muṇḍa arrived, two ministers of Śumbha. When they saw Caṇḍikā, they were captivated by her awesome charm and they tried to conquer her; the goddess summoned Kālı̄, who caught and wounded the demons. Repulsed and frightened, they returned to Śumbha and extolled the beauty of Caṇḍikā, so that Śumbha, seized with desire, sent a messenger named Sugrı̄va to fetch the goddess. Since she answered his amorous offers by challenging him, Śumbha positioned his troops, led by Dhūmralocana (“Dark-eyed”), in battle array.

Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya  221 Chapter 43 A great battle began. Thanks to the power of the bı ̄jamantra HUM, Caṇḍikā burned Dhūmralocana to ashes, while her vehicle – who was Viṣṇu himself in the form of a lion – destroyed the army of the demons. Then Śumbha again sent Caṇḍa and Muṇḍa against Caṇḍikā, but Kālı̄ killed them with her sword and devoured their army. Śumbha and Niśumbha took the field with their ocean-like army, while Caṇḍikā was accompanied by a troop of mother goddesses (mātkāgaṇa): Brāhmı̄, Maheśvarı̄, Indrı̄, Vaiṣṇavı̄, Śikhivāhanı̄, Vārāhı̄, Nārasiṃhı̄, Ā gneyı̄ and Vāruṇı.̄ A demon named Raktabı̄ja arrived on the battlefield: from every drop of blood he shed, new demons arose and even more arose from their blood, so that the whole earth was crowded with demons. Caṇḍikā ordered Kālı̄ to drink all their blood, so that the demons lost their strength and were defeated by the mother goddesses. Caṇḍikā then faced Niśumbha, and after a fierce fight, she severed his head with her sword. Finally, after a struggle which took place in the sky, Caṇḍikā threw Śumbha to the earth and beheaded him with her trident. The gods saluted the victorious goddess, and Viṣṇu dedicated to her a hymn of praise: Hymn in Praise of Caṇḍikā ́ karı̄, destroyer of Sumbha, ́ The best among the deities, Saṅ supreme Śakti of the supreme Śiva, destroyer of the guilt of those who know [her], destroyer of the sorrow of those who are devoted to her feet, destroyer of the delusion in the heart of the beings that are acquainted with her, [she] is victorious! [78] Truly, if the creatures in any way, at any time, even only once in the course of [their] rebirths, remembered [your] lotus-like feet, how could there again be the painful transmigration, similar to [a mirage of] water in the desert, for those who are close [to you]? [79] O mother, how shall I, [the Lord of] the king of the serpents, describe your supreme power, which is of boundless width, [even] after having known it? [Just as] one could never count the grains of dust [that] from the earth [are lost] in the atmosphere, [in the same way the reach] of your [power] is incalculable. [80] You destroy the pain occurring in the world and this is not [a source of] wonder: is this not the innate way a mother acts towards [her] children? Indeed, one who has an aim, even though he is wandering about the world, when he comes within sight of his own house, he shall not pass by it [but] shall enter it. [81] In [this] world, whoever might desire to gladden with pleasant plays of word and sentiment the Beautiful one who is the essence [itself] of all words, this one truly could [only] pour drops of honey in an ocean of nectar which has the same taste as honey. O goddess, which hymn of praise [might] thus [be worthy] of you? [82]1002

222  Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya Pleased by this eulogy, Caṇḍikā disappeared. Thus – concluded Dattātreya – Tripurā, who is Superior to the Supreme, periodically incarnates with a share of herself, to protect the gods and the worlds.

Kālı̄ Chapter 44 Paraśurāma asked Dattātreya to tell him the story of Kālı̄, born out of the anger of Tripurā. Once again, the daityas known as the Kālakhañjas became invincible and tyrannized the worlds, and the gods asked Tripurā for protection. When the Goddess appeared, accompanied by a great sound, the demons fell unconscious and the gods bowed before her. The gods looked in [that] direction [and saw] Tripurā, [who was] an ocean of beauty, [and] whose beautiful body [was equal to] all the beauty of crores of Kandarpas; [33] dazzling the eyes of beings with the glitter of her body [which was] similar to a lightning-creeper, [she was] splendid with her well-proportioned limbs. [34] Mooncrowned, three-eyed, [she was] holding the noose, the goad, the bow, and the arrows with her pale red lotus-like hands growing from her long [arms similar to] the coral-like stalks of a lotus. [35] Her eyes [were like] blown blossoms of blue lotuses in the river of beauty of her moon-like face, the ocean of loveliness of her mouth was covering the bubbling of drops of her pearl[-like teeth]. [36] Her breasts [were like] ruddy geese alarmed by the appearance of the moon of her face; her arms [were like] branches coming out of the slender creeper of coral of her body; [37] her beautiful fingers [were like] buds at the tip of her coral branch-like hands; her ruby [coloured] garment was similar to the fine cover of the stem of a plantain tree; [38] her toes [were] similar to the arrows of the god of love placed in her quiver-like shanks. [She was] adorned [with ornaments] shining like stars scattered around a lightning-creeper. [39] The darkness of the locks of her hair was driven out by the rising of the moon of her face. [40ab]1003 By the power of the bı ̄jamantra HUM, Tripurā gave birth to Kālı̄1004 and ordered her to slay the demons. But the awesome goddess told Tripurā that she could not destroy the demons unless her lust had been satisfied. Hence Tripurā summoned Sadāsí va who, taking the form of Mahākāla, united with Kālı̄ in inverted sexual intercourse (viparı ̄tarata). Afterwards Kālı̄ joined battle with the demons: after killing them with her sword, she devoured them, drinking their blood. Thus inebriated, she moved round the battlefield in a wild dance (tānḍ ạ va) which threatened to destroy the whole universe. Then the frightened gods attempted to appease her, chanting a hymn of praise:

Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya  223 Hymn in Praise of Kālı̄ Kālı̄, who has a terrible mouth, who bears a sword, who has led the troops of the demons, enemies [of the gods], to [their] death, the great Lady, who has assumed a playful appearance as a means of destruction of the pain of the world, may she protect us [who have] fallen at [her] feet from the ocean of evil! [69] Resembling a solid mountain of sapphire, with the tendrils of [her] loose hair reaching down to her feet, with [her] countenance adorned with earrings made of the heads of the enemies of the gods, may she protect us [who have] fallen at [her] feet from the ocean of evil! [70] She whose limbs are beautified by the blood that flows, oozing from the corners of [her] mouth which chews demons [as if they were] green shoots, with [her] opulent breasts concealed by [her] red tongue [which flickers over] those who are disappearing [into her mouth], may she protect us [who have] fallen at [her] feet from the ocean of evil! [71] [She who bears] with [her] long, fearsome-looking, serpent-like hands a [decapitated] head [and] a large scimitar, who shows [the gesture] which removes all fear [and] that which grants boons, with [her] mind wavering in the play of destruction of the enemies of the gods, may she protect us [who have] fallen at [her] feet from the ocean of evil! [72] She whose limbs are adorned with a splendid garland hanging down to [her] feet, [made of] the decapitated heads of freshly killed demons, with her hips fastened by a girdle made of their arms, may she protect us [who have] fallen at [her] feet from the ocean of evil! [73] The peak of mount Meru [is] shattered by the blow of [her] enormous breasts risen and shaken by her dance, her garment is space, the earth [is] wounded and torn by [her] toenails. May she protect us [who have] fallen at [her] feet from the ocean of evil! [74] Born from the anger [of Tripurā], you mightily manifest your own frightful form to destroy the demons. For this reason, may there not be poison [in you who are] an ocean of nectar.1005 May she protect us [who have] fallen at [her] feet from the ocean of evil! [75] When this [form of yours] is like that, it appears as absolutely frightful for those whose sight is [confused] by illusion, and it is never thus for those who see the truth: that [truth is] you, whose form appears as the source of the best nectar of immortality.1006 May she protect us [who have] fallen at [her] feet from the ocean of evil! [76]1007 Since, despite this eulogy, Kālı̄ did not seem appeased, Brahmā asked Mahākāla to pacify her: the latter approached her, lying down at her feet, and the goddess began to dance on his chest, but when she realized that it was her husband, she stopped her tānḍ ạ va dance. Finally, she said that she would grant her devotees the fulfilment of all their desires, and she would enable the achievement of extraordinary powers (siddhi) for those

224  Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya who installed her cult image and worshipped her by offering oblations of meat and by performing ritual sexual intercourse.1008

Durgā Chapter 45 Dattātreya began to tell the story of Durgā, who is so-called because she protects the gods from distress,1009 and who arose as a share of Tripurā (tripurāṃs ́asamudbhūtā). Once Indra offended Sumitrā – the daughter of Gautama and the virtuous wife of Sunetra, a descendant of Kaśyapa – by telling her that she looked like a female buffalo. Sumitrā put a curse on him, so that his spouse Sācı̄ would be transformed into a female buffalo and would give birth to a buffalo which in time would become a redoubtable enemy of Indra. The god appealed to Sunetra, who said that he could not undo the curse and reminded him of the great power of a devoted and virtuous wife (pativratā). Hence, at Sunetra’s suggestion, Indra and Sācı̄ tried to appease Sumitrā, requesting that she temper her curse so that, after giving birth to the buffalo, Indrāṇı ̄ would resume her original appearance, the buffalo would then be defeated by the Goddess, and Indra recover his supremacy. Accordingly, having taken the form of a female buffalo, Indrāṇı ̄ went to a forest, where she swallowed the semen discharged by the demon Kaiṭabha in the grass; she thus conceived and in due course gave birth to a buffalo. After he had become king of the demons, the buffalo conquered the three worlds. Since the demons’ army, led by their commander Biḍal̄ ākṣa, was slaying the troops of the gods, the latter invoked Tripurā. Then from the angry faces of the gods a great mass of splendour emanated which, by condensing, took a womanly shape. This female being showed herself as the goddess Durgā, whose beauty radiated over the three worlds. She declared that, as she had arisen out of all the gods, she was neither distinct nor non-distinct from them,1010 and that she would be able to defeat the invincible buffalo demon (Mahiṣas̄ ura). The gods gave her ornaments and weapons made from their own ornaments and weapons. Thus, riding the lion and equipped with the weapons of all the gods, she prepared to fight against Mahiṣas̄ ura. Chapter 46 Durgā, bearing her weapons in her thousand hands, shining like millions of suns, advanced accompanied by the sound of the conch and the roar of the lion. Frightened by this sound, Biḍālākṣa, the chief commander of the army of the demons, ran away. Hence Mahiṣāsura assembled an army of millions of demons, led by his chief commanders (Udagra, etc.) and, together with his sons (Ugravı̄rya, etc.) and his ministers (Bheruṇdạ , etc.), he joined battle with the goddess. But the best among his warriors, his chief commanders, ministers, and sons were all slaughtered by the lion. Then Durgā and Mahiṣāsura faced each other in a fierce fight. Since he seemed invincible by her weapons, the goddess bound him with nooses

Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya  225 consecrated by powerful mantras. Whenever the goddess struck him, the demon changed his aspect, turning himself into a lion, a man with a thousand faces and eyes riding a chariot drawn by a thousand lions, a mountain, and an elephant, successively. Afterwards, he resumed his buffalo form and the goddess cut off his head; finally, from the decapitated body of the buffalo a demon came out bearing a sword, and Durgā beheaded him.1011 The gods celebrated her victory by dedicating to her, who was the highest part of Tripurā,1012 a hymn of praise: Hymn in Praise of Durgā Homage, homage to you, o creator [and] destroyer of the worlds, o [you who are] in the form of truth within everybody, o [you who are] the ocean of the compassion impelled by the destruction of the worlds [which], suppliant, [seek refuge in you,] protect [us], o Durgā! [77] As now this whole world, [which was helpless like] a frog swallowed by a great and ferocious serpent, has been protected by you – whose eternal form [is that of she] who grants the boon [that keeps away all] great danger – in the same way protect us, o Durgā ! [78] Whenever we are tormented by many intolerable calamities, then you, the Mother of the worlds, being merely remembered [by us], after taking a bodily form thanks to your [divine] play, protect [us who are] overwhelmed by adversity, o Durgā! [79] You show your own form in that which is different from it: all this manifold extension of worlds that is contained, in various ways, in a portion of a small part of your body. This is your māyā. Protect [us] o Durgā! [80] O mother, you have the nature of māyā, because in your pure body you pass for the multifarious world; although you take manifold forms, [you are] the imperceptible Śakti, whose unique form is Consciousness. Protect [us], o Durgā! [81] Since [the gods] beginning with Vidhi and Viṣṇu have taken your lotus-like feet as sole refuge because of your manifold, wonderful activity, what will be your manifold, wonderful form then? How can we praise you? Protect [us] o Durgā! [82] You who ward off pain from those who, without protection, come to seek refuge [with you], [protect us] who are continually devoured by the serpent of infinite sorrow due to the impervious difficulties of existence. Protect [us], o Durgā! [83]1013 By then safe from Mahiṣāsura, the gods asked Durgā to tell them about the prayer by which suffering living beings might obtain her protection. The goddess thus revealed the secret hymn of praise formed by the garland of her thirty-two names, a prayer that destroyed all distress:1014

226  Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya Hymn of the Thirty-two Names of Durgā Inaccessible, she who calms severe pain, she who wards off unbearable distress, she who removes difficult situations, she who accomplishes difficult [tasks], she who destroys impassable [obstacles]. [93] She who rescues from misery, she who defeats dangers, she who beats back difficult situations, she who imparts unattainable knowledge, [she who is like] a fire in a burning forest in the inaccessible world of the demons. [94] Unattainable, she whose vision is unattainable, she whose own form is the Self of difficult access, she who grants [access] through a difficult path, unattainable knowledge, she who dwells in inaccessible places. [95] She who abides by the unattainable knowledge, she who appears clearly in strenuous meditation, dangerous infatuation, she who follows inaccessible [paths], she who appears in the form of unfathomable meaning. [96] Destroyer of unconquerable demons, she who bears invincible weapons, she who has unapproachable limbs, difficult to be thought, unattainable, unattainable Lady. [97] Unbearably fearful, she whose passion is dangerous, of dazzling splendour, she who tears difficulties apart. [98ab]1015 Before disappearing, Durgā explained the benefits resulting from the recitation of these names,1016 she indicated those who were unworthy and, respectively, worthy of their revelation,1017 she illustrated the efficacy of the oblation in fire and of the preparatory rites,1018 then she gave details about her cult image (mūrti)1019 and the items, including meat and liquor, to be offered during her worship.1020

Lalitāmāhātmya Rebirth of Kāma Chapter 47 Paraśurāma asked Dattātreya to relate the circumstances of the rebirth of Kāma, who had been absorbed into the eyes of Lalitā, and whose body had been burnt to ashes by Śiva. After praising Tripurā,1021 Dattātreya declared that it was Lalitā, the highest form of Tripurā, who brought about the resuscitation of Kāma. Then he began the celebration (māhātmya) of the deeds of Lalitā, a wonderful story full of great valour, strength, knowledge, and action (ativı ̄ryabalajñānakriyā). This story was set in the time in which Bhaṇḍa ruled over the worlds and Tripurā, propitiated by the gods, arose from the sacrificial fire and, taking the form of Lalitā, defeated the demon. The gods entreated Lalitā to revive Kāma, to relieve Rati’s grief for the loss of her spouse. While extolling the invincibility of her devotees, Lalitā said that Kāma, who was the best among her devotees, had not perished,

Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya  227 but had lingered in her eyes, and only his physical body had been burnt to ashes. Hence, she sprinkled upon Kāmeśvara the nectar oozing from the corners of her beautiful eyes, and through these Kāma entered the heart of Kāmeśvara and emerged from it with a new body. When Kāma, as if awakened from sleep, learned from Lakṣmı̄ what had happened following the curse of Gaurı̄, he was reluctant to take a corporeal form again. But Lalitā reassured him, saying that Rati alone would be able to see his new body, and when he faced Śiva, he would be invisible; moreover, he would be attended by several other Kāmas, arisen out of his own body.1022 Therefore, Kāma eventually overcame the great ascetic, bringing about the union of Śiva and Pārvatı̄ and the birth of Skanda. Later he kindled Śiva’s desire for Mohinı̄ (“the Enchantress”). Chapter 48 Mohinı̄ – explained Dattātreya – was none other than Viṣṇu, who took this form to bewitch the demons and seize the nectar of immortality arisen from the churning of the ocean. Once Śiva expressed the desire to see this form of Viṣṇu. With the intention of captivating him, Mohinı̄ propitiated Tripurā and, having obtained a share of the Goddess’s beauty, travelled to mount Kailāsa accompanied by Manmatha. When Śiva heard the song of Mohinı̄ and saw her,1023 he was struck by a flower-arrow of Kāma and, infatuated, he lost his self-control and discharged his semen. Then Viṣṇu resumed his original form and Śiva felt ashamed of himself.1024 After celebrating this victory of the god of love, Dattātreya extolled him ́ vidyā (vidyāpravartaka), namely as one of the twelve as a founder of the Srı̄ ́ vidyā (vidyeśvara). Besides most prominent worshippers who mastered the Srı̄ Kāma, these are: Manu, Candra, Kubera, Lopāmudrā, Agastya, Agni, Sūrya, Indra, Skanda, Sí va and Durvāsas (krodhabhaṭṭāraka, “the great lord of anger”); all of them are endowed with their respective powers thanks to the grace of Tripurā.1025 Dattātreya also mentioned the principal among those who worship the Goddess through her bı ̄jamantras, namely the first teachers ́ (ādyācār ya) Mitrı̄sá , Ṣaṣt ̣hı̄sá and Uḍdı̣ s̄ á who, born from the body of Siva, attained the abode of Maheśvara by meditating on the three kūt ̣as of the vidyā.1026 Dattātreya concluded by explaining that Tripurā manifests herself in many forms and places in order to protect the worlds: on the shores of the Eastern Sea, she is present in Kāmagiri (Assam), on the top of mount Meru in Jālandhara (Punjab), on the shores of the Western Sea, in Pūrṇagiri (Mahārāshṭra). Besides these three, she takes another twelve forms in various places in India: she is Kāmākṣı ̄ in Kāñcipuram (Tamil Nadu), Bhrāmarı̄ in the Malaya mountain range (Western Ghats), Kumārı̄ in Kerala, Ambā in the Ā narta country, Mahālakṣmı̄ in Karavı̄ra (Southern Maratha country), Kālikā in Mālava (Malwa), Lalitā in Prayāga, Vindhyanivāsinı̄ in the Vindhya hills, Viśālākṣı ̄ in Vārāṇasi, Maṅgalāvatı̄ in Gayā (Bihar), Tripurasundarı̄ in Bengal and Guhyakeśvarı̄ in Nepal.1027

228  Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya

Birth and First Deeds of Bhaṇḍa Chapter 49

Paraśurāma was eager to hear the celebration of the deeds of Lalitā. Thus, Dattātreya began his narrative by praising Tripurā, together with Lalitā as the principal of Tripurā’s forms: Tripurā, supreme Ruler, [is] the cause of all causes, refuge of all [beings], inner Consciousness (citi) full of light and bliss. [9] Śiva, supporter of the whole world, [is] the embodiment of Consciousness (saṃvid) and bliss: this Consciousness (saṃvid) [is] her power [and] is called the power of Consciousness (cicchakti). [10] This Consciousness (citi) of the supreme Lord [is] the vibrating, glittering manifestation of action, whose essence is happiness, [it is] she, the great power of the supreme Lord, called reflective awareness (vimarśa).1028 [11] Truly in her, who consists of the vast space, this world shines; she appears in three forms [hence] is called by the name of Tripurā.1029 [12] As water to the ocean, as rays to the sun, as clay to the earth, so she is said [to be] the power of Śiva. [13] There is no god without her, anywhere, in any way, likewise [there is no] ocean without water [and there is no] sun without rays. [14] Truly Lalitā, who bears her own might, is a form of he who has the power of consciousness (cicchakti); regarding the gross body [of Tripurā], she (Lalitā) has the character of fullness. [15] All her other śaktis, beginning with Kumārı̄, shall be considered as [her] head, arms, feet, [whereas] Lalitā extends in every direction. [16]1030 Dattātreya explained that the story of Lalitā and of her victory over Bhaṇdạ was formerly narrated to Agastya by Hayagrı̄va, a great devotee of Lalitā, who had been directed to do so by Viṣnu ̣ , who intended to reward Agastya for having propitiated him by practising the ascesis in Kāñcı̄puram.1031 Hayagrı̄va began by praising the worth of Lalitā’s story and saying it should be heard by all devotees of Tripurā if they wanted to obtain the fruit of their worship.1032 He then related how Bhaṇḍa, after obtaining from Śiva the boon of fearlessness, had conquered the three worlds and enslaved the gods. While he himself remained in heaven, he appointed the demons Viśukra and Viṣaṅga to rule over the Earth and the nether worlds, respectively. After some time, the gods were liberated by the sage Uśanas and managed to destroy Śoṇitapura, the capital of the demons. But Maya rebuilt a new city, named Śūnyaka, and from there Bhaṇḍa held his sovereignty over the universe. Chapter 50 Agastya inquired about the circumstances of the birth of Bhaṇḍa, and Hayagrı̄va related how the demon originated from the ashes of the burnt Kāma.1033

Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya  229 For a long time Bhaṇdạ devoted himself to ascetic practices, with the aim of ́ invincibility, creative becoming the ruler of the worlds and gaining from Siva ́ power, fearlessness and immortality. Since at first Siva told him that he did ́ granted not deserve these boons, he performed further austerities, until Siva him all that he wanted, except immortality. To obtain this boon as well, he performed penance of such severity that the smoke produced by his ardour (tapas) came out of the pores of his skin and filled the worlds. For the sake of ́ to meet Bhaṇdạ ’s requests, the wellbeing of the creatures, the gods asked Siva ́ and Siva granted him invincibility with respect to all beings born from the womb or from the mind, and invulnerability regarding any known weapon. When Bhaṇḍa, gratified by these boons, told Gaurı̄ about the favour he had received, the goddess advised him not to offend the gods and to make the best of ruling over the nether world only. However, incited by the demons of the Patāla, he laid claim to the Uttarakuru, so that Brahmā conceded him sovereignty over the Earth. But Bhaṇḍa also coveted Indraṇı ̄ and the Nandana, the divine garden of Indra. He fought against the gods, and eventually managed to conquer all three worlds. Then he created from his ribs the demons Viṣaṅga and Viśukra; he married the sisters of Tārakāsura, Sammohinı̄ (“Infatuating”), Sundarı̄ (“Beautiful”), Citrāṅgı̄ (“With a wonderful body”) and Kumudotkarā (“With a heap of lotuses”); he appointed as lords of the directions the demons Ugrakarman (“Fierce in action”), Ugradhanvan (“Having a powerful bow”), Vidyunmālin (“Wreathed with lightnings”), Vibhı̄sạ ṇa (“Terrifying”), Indraśatru (“Indra’s enemy”), Amitraghna (“Killing enemies”), Vijaya (“Victory”) and Viśvatāpana (“Burning everything”).1034 While approaching the Kailāsa to attempt to capture Śacı̄, who had sought refuge with Pārvatı̄, Bhaṇḍa had to fight against Gaṇeśa and to confront Pārvatı̄. After capturing him by the power of the bı̄jamantra HUM, the goddess was about to kill him, but remembering the boon granted to him by Śiva, she limited herself to warning him against ever returning to the Kailāsa. Hence Bhaṇḍa, defeated, returned to his capital Śūnyaka. Chapter 51 Thousands of divine years had passed since Bhaṇḍa had conquered the three worlds, when Indra went to Aṅgiras to ask for help and advice. The teacher of the gods consoled Indra with wise words and told him that the only one who might provide protection against Bhaṇḍa was Tripurā. Hence, at his suggestion, Vāyu carried all the gods to the peaks of the Himālaya. There they performed a great sacrifice1035 and Tripurā manifested herself, arising from the sacrificial fire. Her appearance produced a great sound and a dazzling light, so that the gods – all except Aṅgiras, Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Śiva – fell unconscious: From the midst of that fire arose the Mother, Tripurā. The colour of her body [was] as red as the just risen sun, [39] her creeper-like body

230  Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya [was] a rising flash of light resembling a lightning-creeper, the lotus of her full moon-like face [was] blown from the lightning-creeper [of her body]. [40] [She was] splendid with the red vermillion arising from the stream of her black braid, the gems adorning her braid [were like] a net of stars in the sky, [41] the line parting her hair [was like] the tongue coming out of the mouth of her serpent-like long braid, the firmament of her hair was overcome by the redness of the vermillion. [42] [She bore] a shining mark on her forehead [which was] as curved as a reversed half-moon, her blown lotus-like face [was] surrounded by locks of hair [similar to] swarms of bees. [43] Her eyes [were] like blue lotuses in the pond of her beautiful face, her glances acted as mantras begetting crores of gods of love,1036[44] her beautiful sidelong glances [were] the source of crores of waves in the ocean of milk. Her nose retained the perfect beauty of a bud of Campaka, [45] her round cheeks [were] shining as brightly as brilliant mirrors [made of] rubies; the lotus-like gems of her ear ornaments [were] emerging from the rivers of her sidelong glances, [46] the rows of pearls of her lotus-like ear ornaments resembled flamingos, her sidelong glances [were like] a flow of arrows [darted] from the bow of the splendour of her ear ornaments. [47] Her lips [gave their] redness to her teeth similar to the seeds of a ripe pomegranate fruit, the colour of her teeth [resembled that of] the filaments within a red blown lotus, [48] her teeth [similar to] buds of jasmine were rising [behind] her coral-like lips, her lips [were like] corals in the ocean of milk of her smile. [49] Her lovely chin [was] like the footstalk of her ruby [coloured] lotus-like face, her beautiful lotus-like neck [was] adorned with a shining gem necklace. [50] Her breasts [similar to] buds of lotuses [were] rising from the lotus fibres of her gem-like hands, [she was] beautified by the clusters of blossoms of her breasts on the creeper of her ruby [hued] body, [51] her breasts [were like] ruddy geese hiding themselves for fear of the splendour of the moon of her face, her breasts [were like] flamingos swinging in the stream of the river of her smile. [52] Her hands [were like] red shoots rising from the branches of her creeperlike body, [she was] adorned with her fingers [which were like] buds of China rose at the tip of her coral [hued] hands. [53] Her four arms [were] playing with the elephant goad, the noose, the bow, and the arrows, her arms [were] shining with her jacket and with the waves of gems of her bracelets and armlets. [54] [She was] splendid with her creeper-like necklace of pearls [which looked] like the stalk of her lotus-like face. Her two breasts [were like] buds of lotuses rising from the stalk-like fine line of hair [above her navel]; [55] her deep navel [was like] a basin [for water] round the root of her creeper-like line of hair, her creeper-like hair [was like] the creeping moss within the pond of her navel. [56] Her beautiful hips were covered with a gem [studded] garment dyed with safflower, [the existence of] her waist was detected only because of its supporting the upper part of

Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya  231 her body, [57] [she was] adorned with star[-like ornaments] visible in the midst of her garment [which was] as light as a cloud; her round thighs [were] defying the ruby [coloured] stem of a plantain tree, [58] [she was] adorned with her shanks similar to quivers made of rubies. The tips of her toes suggested the might of tortoise shells, [59] the small bells of her royal anklets [studded with] gems were agreeably tinkling, her lotus-like feet bountifully granted [their] beauty to the blooming lotuses, [60] her lotus-like feet [were] adorned with shining gem [studded] ornaments in the shape of geese’s feet, her moonlike toenails flowing with nectar dispelled the burning distress of the downcast [devotees] bowing before [her], [61] her feet [acted] as family teachers to the slow gait of the flamingos, her feet [were like] the shoots of the heavenly coral tree (Mandāra) granting the desires of the devotees. [62]1037 Seeing Tripurā in all her glorious beauty, Aṅgiras paid homage to her with a hymn of praise: VII Hymn in Praise of Tripurā [It is] not [in] my power to describe the playful manifestation of your greatness; indeed, your power cannot be [described by] what I nonetheless [may] say. [However,] for that reason there shall be no failure in my being the master of speech [because], if this were [the case], your favour would be lost. [67] I, the preceptor of the gods, say that truly you [are] the reality: the subject and the object,1038 everything, o Mother, [is] you alone. Thus, here in the waves of my eulogy, as [in those] of the ocean of milk, there is neither loss or gain, nor sweet or sour taste, nor other [similar opposites]. [68] Whatever the eye of a fool sees as a manifold variety [of phenomena] that appears as a picture [reflected] on the glittering surface of a mirror, and this divine form [of yours] which has been shown here before our eyes, indeed [all] this, as aforesaid, [is the product] of [your] māyā by virtue of [your] compassion. [69] O Mother, he who considers the heaven of the gods as valuable, bewildered by your divine plays, his mind confused, not knowing you [and] your infinite power, follower of another tradition, perseveres, using false arguments, in extolling the variety of the visible world. [70] Time passes truly in vain for those who dispute, [resorting to] deceptive arguments [expressed by] diverse statements like: ‘it exists, it does not exist’. O Mother of the world, those who are, even for an instant, aware in their own hearts of your divine Energy (kalā ),1039 which is made of Consciousness, will certainly enjoy lasting happiness. [71] O Mother, when the memory of the impressions left in the mind by the desire for worldly objects has disappeared, the yogins who see

232  Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya in the still and spotless mirror of their inner being your divine Energy (kalā) as their own self, they triumph, dwelling happy in the abode of supreme bliss. [72] Thus, having reflected for a long time [and] being aware of your form in [their] inner being, let [these yogins] be steady in their state of mind, in possession of their true nature. Afterwards, as they consider all that is exterior as your form, taking supreme pleasure in you, indeed they are to be worshipped as kings among the yogins.1040[73] O Lalitā, although I have some intimacy with your lotus-like feet, having been always completely near [you], yet, apart from a slightest part of the discourses and thoughts [regarding] you, I do not grasp [your] reality. [Thus] I bow before you. [74]1041 Then also Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Śiva dedicated to Tripurā a hymn of praise: VIII Hymn in Praise of Tripurā Triumph, triumph o Mother, personification of equanimity, [you who] have the power to create, protect and destroy the world. Your body is nothing but the Unsurpassed Consciousness and, once manifested, your person illuminates everything. [76] Your wonderful appearance, [all] exteriority suppressed, is like a mirror [that contains] the totality of this [world]. This is your great being, your victorious power, which accomplishes what is difficult to be accomplished. [77] O Lady, though [your] own form is all-pervading, by taking a limited form thanks to [your] power – [which is] difficult to be accomplished – you cause all the manifold distinctions of perceiving subjects and perceived world to appear. [78] You who, having taken a limited form, consider such manifold form of yours as binding, being aware [of it] in [your] consciousness, you appear as such again by virtue of [your] inner volition. [79] Thus you, [acting] under the impulse of your freedom, call into existence the vast divine play [of the manifestation of the world] in the mirror of your own self [and,] contemplating this work of yours, rejoice incessantly. O Goddess, homage to you! [80] O you [who] indeed [are] the great Lady of the worlds, any deity who, distinct [from you] by your power, knows [your] eternal divine play, rejoices at the sight of such divine play. [81] Miserable [are] those who cannot see your playful,1042 secret form, this supreme form that produces benefits for those to whose eyes [it has] revealed [itself]. [82] Once again, here we bow down before [your] playful, charming form which, red saffron-hued, curved under the weight of your breasts, adorned with the digit of the moon’s disc, bears the goad, the bow, the arrows, and the noose. [83]1043

Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya  233 Chapter 52 When the Goddess heard about the troubles of the gods, she comforted them saying that she would be able to kill Bhaṇḍa because, having arisen out of the fire of the fire-pit as a non-worldly female being, she was not born from the womb or the mind of anyone; moreover, she possessed an uncommon weapon.1044 As Aṅgiras asked her to let Indra and the other gods contemplate her form of universal Mother (sarvajananı ̄), she replied that the gods were not qualified to see her own self, made of energy (śaktimayı ̄ tanu), and could see only her limited form (rūpa parimita); but by worshipping her with the method of the Śrı̄sūkta they would be able to attain the vision of her true form (svarūpa). Before disappearing, she revived those who had fallen unconscious with the nectar of immortality of her glances. Thereafter the gods, directed by Aṅgiras, devoted themselves to her worship with the method of the Śrı̄sūkta. In the meantime, Śukra, the preceptor of the demons, related to Bhaṇḍa what the gods were doing, and advised him to be cautious, avoid conflicts, withdraw to the nether world, and surrender to the Goddess. Bhaṇḍa however, heedless of the advice of his guru and encouraged by the arrogance of one of the demons, gathered his warriors to fight against the gods. Seeing the advance of the demons’ army, the gods were afraid and invoked the protection of Tripurā. She sent the fourteenth Nityā Jvālāmālinı̄ (“Flame-garlanded”) to their rescue, and she surrounded the place where the gods were worshipping the Goddess with high flames. Thinking that the gods had been reduced to ashes, Bhaṇḍa went away.1045 To please the Goddess, the gods offered their own bodies as oblation into the fire-pit; hence Tripurā, to protect her devotees, manifested herself, arising from the middle of the fire-pit, similar to crores of lightnings, and the gods, safe and sound, paid homage to her.

Maṇidvı ̄pa and Śr ı̄cakra Chapter 53 Since, due to the necessity of fate (niyati), Indra and the other gods were not able to see Tripurā in her own abode, upon the request of Brahmā she took up residence with her retinue in a city built for her by Viśvakarman on the peak of mount Meru, in the same way as in her original abode; she dwelled there with her spouse Kāmeśvara, after creating him out of half of her own body.1046 Agastya interrupted the narration of Hayagrı̄va, to inquire about the city of Tripurā and the method of her worship. While stating that the rebirth in which someone shows devotion to Tripurā shall be the last one, preluding liberation,1047 Hayagrı̄va replied that Agastya was worthy of the teachings he wished to receive, thanks to the beneficial influence of his spouse Lopāmudrā. In fact, after following the example of her father who

234  Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya was a great devotee of the Goddess, Lopāmudrā had learned from Tripurā the Goddess’s mantra, thereby becoming a seer of this vidyā, which is now known by her name. Thanks to his association with Lopāmudrā, Agasya too had become a devotee of Tripurā.1048 Hayagrı̄va therefore consented to teach Agastya how to worship Tripurā according to the method of the Śrı̄sūkta which, like that of the Śrı̄vidyā, is to be kept secret. The Śrı̄sūkta, made of sixteen “verses” (c), originated from the Veda; after drawing it out of the ocean of the Veda, Srı̄ (Lakṣmı̄) was its first seer and, by worshipping Tripurā with it, she became the mother of the worlds, worshipped by all.1049 Once Lakṣmı̄ propitiated Tripurā until, after a long time, the latter offered her a boon. Since Lakṣmı̄ asked to attain complete union (sā yujya) with her, Tripurā answered that it was not possible because, without Lakṣmı̄, Viṣṇu would have not been able to protect the world. But Tripurā addressed her in a speech in which she asserted their perfect likeness: I am known as Śrı̄vidyā, my city shall be Srı̄pura, my diagram shall be the Śrı̄cakra, the method1050 [of my worship] shall be the Śrı̄krama. [46] This Śrı̄sūkta shall be my vidyā [and] shall be [made of] the sixteen [syllables] of Śrı̄; I am called Mahālakṣmı̄ because of our sameness of nature. [47] Staying near me you, as fourfold, will receive the cult; that which is dear to you in the world shall be dear to me too. [48] You will be properly worshipped by the devotees on the Venus day (Friday), [and] I shall also be worshipped by the devotees especially on that day. [49] On that occasion, worshipped with mantras relating to the [Śrı̄]sūkta, pleased with the services and with the oblation of various substances offered into the fire, I grant the fulfilment of desires. [50] I grant all desires to the one who anoints [my] diagram or [my] cult image with libations of water, milk, and fruit juices. [51] During my daily, occasional, and optional worship,1051 and on other occasions, one shall recite the Lakṣmı̄sūkta (Śrı̄sūkta) made of sixteen syllables, during the ceremony of the bath of the goddess. [52] By repeating [it only] once, Lakṣmı̄ shall dwell for ever in one’s own house; [53ab] or else, for he who is unable to worship and shall always recite the [Śrı̄]sūkta alone, his ritual action shall be completely accomplished [and] I shall be satisfied. In consequence of the connection with you, my dear vidyā will also be successful. [53c–54] I am the [Śrı̄]vidyā (the pañcadasá ̄kṣarı ̄), which is declared to be complete with your allauspicious phonic seed (bı ̄ja, i.e. sŕ ı ̄m), [thus becoming] the great mantra of Śrı̄, made of sixteen syllables (mahāsŕ ı ̄ṣoḍasá ̄kṣarı ̄). [55] When the sú ̄kta mantras are recited during the services of worship, this worship shall be a great worship and I shall be quickly pleased. [56] I am concealed in the [Śrı̄]sūkta [vidyā] in the form of [its] meaning and my phonic seed (bı ̄ja) too is kept secret; solicited by the seers I take my full form [arising] from the fire, [my] father. [57] Nowhere

Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya  235 in the world is there another [vidyā] dearer than your Sūkta. You are me, o goddess, and I am you; there shall be no difference between the two of us. [58] He who sees a difference [between us] shall meet with great misfortunes. [59ab]1052 As regards Śrı̄pura, Hayagrı̄va explained that it was Brahmā who, after ordering Viśvakarman to build a city for the Goddess on the peak of mount Meru – a city that should be an image of the universe (jagatpratikti) – gave a detailed description of it to the divine architect. Chapter 54 In the midst of the ocean of nectar (sudhāsindhu) is the Island of Jewels (maṇidvı ̄pa),1053 with forests of wishing trees all around. Therein stands the city of the Goddess. It is enclosed by a square iron rampart that has gateways in the four directions and encompasses a second, bronze rampart. The space between these two huge walls is filled with wishing trees (kalpavkṣa), lotus ponds, birds, and animals. There, on a lotus-shaped platform, stands an eightfold bronze house where Mahākāla is seated on a throne: embraced by Kālı̄, his happiness (saubhāgya) granted by paying homage to the feet of the Mother, Tripurā, he takes an eightfold form to dwell in his eightfold abode. Within the bronze rampart is a copper rampart and in the space between them is a forest of wishing trees where Spring (vasanta) abides, attended by his sá ktis Madhu and Mādhava. Next is a lead rampart, enclosing the forest of Santāna trees, where Summer (grı ̄ṣma) is attended by his sá ktis Śukra and Śuci. Then there is a brass rampart, with the garden of Haricandana trees, where the Rainy Season (varṣā ) shines with her sá ktis Nabha and Nabhasya. Within a rampart made of an alloy of five metals is the forest of Mandāra trees, where Autumn (sá rad) reigns with her sá ktis, the months of Aśvina and Kārttika. Within a silver rampart, in the forest of Pārijāta trees, reigns Winter (hemanta) with his sá ktis Saha and Sahasya.1054 A golden rampart girdles a forest of Kadamba trees, fragrant like intoxicating liquor, filled with bees and parrots, where the abode of the goddess Mantriṇı ̄ (“She who knows spells”), who infatuates the worlds, celebrated as Saṅgı̄tamātkā and Mātaṅgı̄, is found; eight goddesses stand facing in the eight directions, namely Śukā Śyāmalā, Śārikā Śyāmalā, Hasantikā, Laghu Śyāmalā, Rāja Śyāmalā, Mantriṇı,̄ Śrı̄mātkā and Śrı̄mātkāpriyā, attended by many mātaṅgakanyās. Within a topaz rampart dwells the Lord of the siddhas, who is surrounded by siddhas, and meditates on the supreme Goddess. Inside a ruby rampart abide the celestial bards (cāraṇa), devotees of Tripurā, accompanied by young girls. Within a rampart made of gomeda gem is the dreadful Kālasaṅkarṣiṇı ̄ (“She who shortens time”), resembling a dark cloud and

236  Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya bearing a sword; she is surrounded by crores of bhairavas and baṭukas, and meditates on the lotus-like feet of the Great Queen (Tripurā). Inside a diamond rampart, surrounded by the river Vajrā, which flows into the ocean of nectar, dwells the goddess Vajreśvarı̄, adorned with diamonds and bestowing diamonds. Within a cat’s eye gem rampart serpents (nāga) and demons (daitya) meditate on the lotus-like feet of the supreme Mother. Mortals dwell inside a sapphire rampart. The guardians of the directions (dikpāla) stay in their respective quarters within a pearl rampart. Inside an emerald rampart is a garden of golden creepers, filled with the fragrance of the liquor produced by the Palmyra trees; there abides the goddess Daṇḍinı̄ (“She who carries a stick” or “punishment”), delighted by liquor, appearing in the dreams of criminals, and punishing them. Siddhas, sages (muni) and yogins dwell within a coral rampart. Viṣṇu shines inside a rampart made of nine gems. The three-eyed Śiva is attended by his fearsome cohorts (pramatha) within a rampart blazing with manifold gems. Inside the rampart of mind (manas), as red as the rising sun, in a pond of nectar of immortality (amta) filled with lotuses, geese, ducks, cuckoos and cranes, on a boat made of nine types of gems, the goddess Tārā is sitting in the lotus posture, accompanied by many śaktis; she saves the devotees, yet without the permission of Daṇḍinı̄, she does not carry anyone across the ocean of saṃsāra. Within the rampart of intellect (buddhi), clear and white like the moon disc, in the pond of bliss (ānanda), the goddess Amteśı,̄ accompanied by her śaktis, enjoys spirituous liquor (surā); the pond of bliss is protected by her, and without her permission nobody can either drink from it or cross it. Inside the rampart of egoity (ahaṃkāra), darkcoloured like blue clouds, in the pond called reflective awareness (vimarśa) flows the cool, calm sap of knowledge; there, in a boat is the great goddess Kurukullā; without her permission nobody can obtain that sap, by drinking even a drop of which one is freed from the pain of ignorance and sees the reality of the world. Next is the rampart of the Sun, a mass of light (prakās ́a), where Sūrya, on a lotus, is accompanied by his twelve forms beginning with Mārtāṇḍabhairava, and is praised by his Sun-like devotees. The rampart of the Hare-marked (the Moon) shines like crores of moons; there King Soma spreads his rays of nectar. Within the wonderful rampart of love (śṅgāra), made of Kaustubha gems, is a moat1055 filled with pure erotic rapture/sap (śṅgārarasa); in a boat made of Kaustubha gems called śṅgāra stays Kandarpa (Kāma) with his beloved Rati; he who is the best among the devotees of Tripurā rejoices in being attended by crores of Kandarpas and Ratis. Further inside is the forest of the great lotus (mahā padmavana), whose stalk, petals, filaments and pericarp are extremely long, and whose gemlike bees resemble the peaks of mountains. In this lotus grove is the abode of Śrı̄ Tripurā, made of gems yielding all desires (cintā maṇigha). It has four doors and is surrounded by a divine round support of Fire

Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya  237 with its parts (kalā ). Within this support is the vessel of the Sun with its twelve parts (kalā), containing the savoury, sweet, fragrant spirituous nectar of immortality. The Moon, emanating its nectarean rays, endowed with all its digits (kalā), is in a boat swinging in the waves of the spirituous nectar of immortality. The latter is the beverage of the sá ktis who dwell in the Śrı̄cakra and in the grove of the great lotus (mahāpadmātạ vı ̄), and who rejoice with the favour of the head Śakti. In the South-east of the cintāmaṇigha is a great altar garlanded by the blazing fire of Consciousness, girdled with three cavities; this fire made of Consciousness is the progenitor of Goddess Tripurā. In the West is a disc-like chariot: studded with gems, with nine steps, the ten senses are its horses, the mind its charioteer, the scriptural transmissions (amnāya) its wheels, the yoga its reins, the wind its flag, the sky its canopy; it is as vast as the whole universe. In the centre of the cintāmaṇigha dwells the glorious Lord of the Śrı̄cakra, with the goddesses of the nine enclosures. On a throne formed by the five great gods beginning with Brahmā (pañcabrahmātmamañcaka),1056 the goddess Srı̄ Tripurā, whose form is light, shines, seated on the left thigh of Kāmeśvara. Chapter 55 After hearing the description of the Island of Jewels, Viśvakarman asked Brahmā by whom, when and why the abode of the Goddess was fashioned. Brahmā related that long ago, when the gods were created by the universal Energy (viśvaśakti) made of the three guṇa s (guṇamāyā), and were appointed to perform their cosmic functions, they propitiated the Mother, Tripurā, praising her as the supreme Śakti who has the nature of Consciousness, subtle, in the form of space, made of Word, auspicious. Then, claiming that, without her presence, they were not inclined to fulfil their respective tasks, they asked her to take the form of Rājarājeśvarı̄, to enable them to worship her and accomplish their duties. Tripurā consented to appear, not in the worlds, but in the Island of Jewels (ratnadvı ̄pa) in the midst of the ocean of nectar. There the gods were to worship her, offering oblations on the altar of the fire of Consciousness, meditating on her female or male form, as they liked, and then she would accordingly manifest in her gross (sthūla), visible form (dśyamūrti). The gods reached thus the ocean of nectar and found the Island of Jewels made of the nine gems. They built an altar, the fire of which emanated from the eyes of Śiva and was inflamed by the consciousness of Viṣṇu; Brahmā’s mind was the sacrificial animal (pasú ), his intellect the clarified butter, his egoity the oblation (havis) and his senses the vessels. As they were performing the sacrifice and meditating on the feminine form (strı ̄mūrti) of the Goddess, she manifested herself in the middle of the altar, arising from the fire as the Beauty of the three worlds (trilokyasundarı ̄).1057

238  Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya The Goddess asked for a seat. Iś̄ vara and Sadāsí va appeared and, while the latter was meditating, myriads of Iś̄ varas and Sadāsí vas were manifested, and out of their essence five beautiful figures arose. By a portion (aṃsá ) of Sadāsí va was fashioned a red bench, having his same form (mūr ti); then this god made the legs of the seat from the powers of Iś̄ a, Rudra, Hari and Vidhi, the soft carpet from the essence of the earth and the pillow from the peaks of mount Meru. Afterwards he built an abode made of wishing gems (cintāmaṇi), with the four Vedas as its four doors, the sky as its roof, and surrounded by clusters of lotuses. There, Tripurā sat on a throne studded with gems. Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Rudra asked Sadāsí va to provide a consort for her, but the latter said that he was unable to find a suitable match for the Goddess, praising her as follows: This Goddess, Superior to the Supreme, whose own form is nothing but Being and Consciousness, [59cd] existed alone before everything, by her own free will, [when] there was nothing, neither being nor non-being, neither the one nor the manifold; [60] uniquely by the might of her own nature does she manifest the wonderful manifoldness of this world in the mirror of her own self, on account of her divine play. [61]1058 Then, to fulfil the desire of the gods, Tripurā smiled and, after having rendered them deaf and blind by a loud sound and a great glow, she showed herself sitting on the left thigh of a male god, who was as beautiful as herself, and embracing him. Sadāsí va said that, since she had fulfilled the desire of the gods, she would be called Kāmeśvarı̄ and her consort Kāmeśvara; moreover, since she ruled over the kings of kings (the gods), she would be called Rājarājeśvarı̄ and her consort Rājarājeśvara; she was Tripurasundarı̄, and her consort was Tripurasundara. As the gods prompted Tripurā to have a retinue (parivāra), she created out of her own body another supreme Śakti, who was an image of herself (pratibimbavat); she called her Mahātripurasundarı̄ and asked her to create a śakticakra and a retinue, which would be a share (aṃs ́a) of Tripurā herself. Mahātripurasundarı̄ created a wonderful śakticakra with its circles of s ́aktis (śaktyāvaraṇa); meanwhile the Great Goddess Tripurā took sixteen forms and stayed apart as the seventeenth. Then Mahātripurasundarı̄ created out of her own body nine śaktis, and these in their turn created more śaktis, who formed the retinue of the Goddess and had the circles of the worlds as their abodes. Chapter 56 Viśvakarman requested Brahmā to provide detailed information about the various śaktis, their number, names, forms and abodes.

Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya  239 Brahmā related that, after creating the nine śaktis and ordering them to create more śaktis, Mahātripurasundarı̄ created ten more s ́aktis; red-hued, bearing the noose, the lotus, and the goad, their hair was adorned with the moon’s crescent. Their names were: Aṇimā, Laghimā, Mahimā, Iś̄ itvikā, Vaśitvā, Prākāmyakā, Bhuktı̄, Icchā, Prāptı̄, Sarvakāmā. As for the previous nine śaktis, Mahātripurasundarı̄ called them yoginı ̄s, because they had been created by means of yoga. Upon the request of Mahātripurasundarı̄, Tripurā created an abode for these śaktis: within a quadrangular base (vedikā) endowed with four gates in the four directions, were two more quadrangular areas (bhūmikā), one above the other; inside these three areas were two sixteen- and eightpetalled areas, one above the other; further inside there were one fourteenangled, two ten-angled and one eight-angled areas, one above the other; finally, within a triangular area there was the circular space of the bindu, where Tripurā dwelt. Tripurā sat on the lap of Kāmeśvara, on the throne made of the five great gods beginning with Brahmā (pancabrahmāsana). There were fifteen sá ktis arisen from her body, called the Nityās; they represented the moon’s digits (kalā) and were the deities presiding over the lunar days (tithi). They were called Kāmeśvarı̄, Bhagamālinı̄, Nityaklinnā, Bheruṇḍā, Vahnivāsinı̄, Mahāvidyeśvarı̄, Śivadūtı̄, Tvaritā, Kulasundarı̄, Nityā, Nı̄lapatākikā, Vijayā, Sarvamaṅgalā, Jvālāmālā and Citrā, and stayed by the three sides of the triangular area, in three groups of five. Mahātripurasundarı̄, who was the first created by Tripurā, was the sixteenth Nityā and, thanks to her ascesis, she was united with Tripurā, who was thus the seventeenth, and who appointed Mahātripurasundarı̄ as the presiding deity of the bindu. The nine śaktis previously created by Mahātripurasundarı̄ and called yoginı ̄s were named: Prakaṭā, Guptā, Guptatarā, Sampradāyā, Kulottı̄rṇā, Nigarbhā, Rahasyakā, Atirahasyā and Parāpararahasyakā; they were placed in the quadrangular circle, in the sixteen- and eight-petalled circles, in the fourteen-angled, in the two ten-angled and eight-angled circles, in the triangle and in the bindu, respectively. Prakaṭā created a group of ten śaktis, a group of eight – beginning with Brahmı̄ and having the nature of the phonemes (mātkā) – and a second group of ten, and located each group within the first, second and third quadrangular areas, respectively. Guptā created sixteen śaktis, to be in the sixteen-petalled circle; Guptatarā, Sampradāyā, Kulottı̄rṇā and Nigarbhā created more śaktis, to be in their respective circles; Rahasyakā created seven śaktis and Atirahasyā only one. Finally, Aṇimā and the others created hundreds of s ́aktis similar to themselves. The head Goddess (mūladevı ̄ i.e. Tripurā) asked Mahātripurasundarı̄ to give names to all these śaktis. Accordingly, the ten śaktis dwelling in the third quadrangular area, who were the embodiments of the mudrās (sarvamudrātmamūrtayaḥ), knowing the method of the mudrās

240  Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya (mudrātattvavidhānajñāḥ), were called:1059 Saṃkṣobhiṇı ̄ (“She who shakes”), Vidrāviṇı ̄ (“She who puts to flight”), Ā karṣaṇı ̄ (“She who attracts”), Vaśaṅkarı̄ (“She who subjugates”), Unmādinı̄ (“She who is bewitching”), Mahāṅkuśā (“She who bears a great goad”1060), Trikhaṇḍā (“Having three sections”), Khecarı̄ (“She who moves in space”), Bı̄jā (“Seed”) and Yoni (“Womb”). In the second quadrangular area were Brāhmı̄, Māheśvarı̄, Kaumārı̄, Vaiṣṇavı̄, Vārāhı̄, Māhendrı̄, Cāmuṇḍā and Mahālakṣmı̄, similar to Brahmā etc. The mudrā-śaktis were red-hued, bore the noose, the mudrā, and a red goad, and wore ornaments made of rubies. The śaktis created by Guptā were: Kāmākarṣiṇikā, Buddhyākarṣiṇikā, Ahaṅkārākarṣiṇı,̄ Śabdākarṣiṇikā, Sparśākarṣiṇikā, Rūpākarṣiṇikā, Ra-­ sākarṣiṇikā, Gandhākarṣiṇikā, Cittākarṣiṇı,̄ Dhairyākarṣiṇı,̄ Smtyākarṣiṇı,̄ Nāmākarṣiṇı,̄ Bı̄jākarṣiṇikā, Ā tmākarṣiṇikā, Amtākarṣiṇı ̄ and Śarı̄rākarṣiṇı.̄ They dwelt in the sixteen-petalled circle: they were young, white-hued and bearing the noose, the gesture of bestowing gifts, the nectar pot and the goad. The śaktis Anaṅgakusumā, Anaṅgamekhalā, Anaṅgamadanā, Ana­ṅga­ madanāturā, Anaṅgarekhikā, Anaṅgaveginı̄, Anaṅgāṅkuśā, Anaṅg­amālinı̄, created by Guptatarā, dwelt in the eight-petalled circle; they wore red garments and bore the noose, a blue lotus, the vessel and the goad. The śaktis Samkṣobhinı̄, Vidrāviṇı,̄ Ā karṣiṇı,̄ Ā hlādinı̄, Sammohinı̄, Stambhinı̄, Jmbhiṇı,̄ Vaśaṅkarı̄, Rañjinı̄, Unmādinı̄, Arthasādhinı̄, Sampattipūraṇı,̄ Mantramayı̄ and Dvandvakṣayaṅkarı̄, created by Sampradāyā, dwelt in the fourteen-angled area; they wore red garments and bore the noose, the nectar pot, the mirror and the goad. The śaktis Siddhipradā, Saṃpatpradā, Priyaṅkarı̄, Maṅgalakāriṇı,̄ Kāmapradā, Duḥkhavimocinı̄, Mtyupraśamanı̄, Vighnanivāriṇı,̄ Sarvāṅgasundarı̄ and Saubhāgyadāyinı̄ dwelt in the ten-angled area; they bore the noose, the jewels, the bag and the goad and wore white garments and jewels. These young śaktis were called Kulottı̄rṇās. Jñānaśakti, Aiśvaryapradā, Jñānamayı̄, Vyādhivināsí nı̄, Ā dhārādyāsvarūpikā, ̄ Pāpaharā, Ā nandamayı̄, Rakṣas̄ varūpiṇı ̄ and Ipsitā dyāpradā dwelt in the second ten-angled area; they were red-hued, bore the noose and the sword, showed the gesture of bestowing gifts and of knowledge. They were called Nigarbhās. The śaktis Vaśinı̄, Modinı̄, Vimalā, Aruṇā, Jayinı̄, Sarveśvarı̄ and Kaulinı̄, created by Rahasyayoginı̄, bearing the bow, the book and the arrow, and showing the gesture of bestowing gifts, red-hued and shining with rubies, dwelt in the eight-angled area. The single śakti originated from Atirahasyā dwelt in the right/Southern angle. Chapter 57 After learning the places of the śaktis on the Śrı̄cakra, Tvaṣt̣ (Viśvakarman) was eager to know more. Brahmā explained that the Great Goddess Tripurā,

Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya  241 who is none other than Consciousness, though being one, by her own free will takes manifold forms, such as Brahmā etc., to carry out the divine play of creation etc. of the world. Taking a gross form, she manifests the various s ́aktis, who are her own shares and who take their names according to their respective actions. Since the śaktis competed for their respective places on the Śrı̄cakra, Mahātripurasundarı̄ ordered them to practise austerities. While they were absorbed in these, Tripurā was all alone; then, from her body and weapons arose ten śaktis, and from her glances were born four golden s ́aktis, wearing white garments and ornaments and bearing lotuses. All of them were devoted to ascetic practices. Then four more groups of śaktis were created: the first were red-hued, with red ornaments, bearing the noose and the goad, showing the gestures of dispelling fear and of granting boons, three-eyed; the second, also red, bearing the noose, the book, the garland and the goad; the third, crystalhued, bearing the noose and the goad, showing the gestures of dispelling fear and granting boons; the fourth were also red. These were the Nityās, and as a reward for her asceticism, the sixteenth attained union (sāyujya) with Tripurā. Furthermore, from Tripurā’s body five groups of four sá ktis were created, called the Pañcaka goddesses; Tripurā herself was the fifth of each group and as such she was called Ratneśvarı̄, Kāmadhuk, Kalpalateśı,̄ Kośeśvarı̄ and Lakṣmı̄sv́ arı̄. Then she provided each group with thousands of attendant s á ktis. The Ratneśvarı̄s were: Siddhalakṣmı̄, Rājamātaṅginı̄, Bhuvaneśānı̄ and Vārāhı̄kı̄. The Kāmadhughās were: Sudhāpı̄th ̣ eśvarı̄, Sudhāsūḥ, Amteśānı̄ and Annaprapūrnaṇı.̄ The Kalpalatās were: Pañcakāmā, Pārijāteśvarı̄, Kumārı̄ and Pañcabhāṇeśvarı̄. The Kośeśvarı̄s were: Parā, Niṣkalaśāmbhavı̄, Ajapā and Mātkā. The Lakṣmı̄sv́ arı̄s were: Lakṣmı̄, Mahālakṣmı̄, Sāmrājyalakṣmı̄ and Ramā. Pleased by the asceticism of the Pañcaka goddesses, Tripurā gave them a place near the binducakra. Afterwards she made Mātaṅgı̄ and Vārāhı̄ minister (mantriṇı ̄) and chief of the army (daṇdị nı ̄) and placed them in the gold and emerald ramparts.1061 She placed Kāmeśvarı̄, Vajreśı ̄ and Bhagamālinı̄kā in the three angles of the central triangle and gave them the status of samayadevı ̄s (“goddesses of the rule”). The śakti created by the yoginı ̄ Rahasyatarā (Atirahasyā) gained a dwelling place in the diamond rampart, on the shore of the river Vrajā and, since she was presiding over the diamonds, she was called Vajreśvarı̄.1062 After placing the śaktis in the nine cakras, Mahātripurasundarı̄ took nine forms, each presiding over a cakra; they were Tripurā, Tripureśı,̄ Tripurasundarı̄, Tripuravāsinı̄, Tripurāsŕ ı̄, Tripuramālinı̄, Tripurāsiddhā, Tripurāmbikā and Mahātripurasundarı̄ herself as the ninth. These nine śaktis were all facing the head Goddess (mūladevı ̄, i.e. Tripurā). Finally, since Brahmā and the other gods complained about the fact that the Śrı̄cakra was occupied by female deities only, Kāmeśvara created by his own power, along with that of Kāmeśvarı̄, his own retinue formed

242  Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya by these four teachers (guru): Mitreśa, Ṣaṣth ̣ ı̄sá , Uḍḍıs̄ á and Charyānātha. These were crystal-hued, three-eyed, wearing white garments, carried a book, showed the gestures of dispelling fear, granting boons and bestowing consciousness, and sat in the lotus posture together with their red-hued consorts. They were the teachers of the śaktimantras and in their turn they created the groups of divya-, siddha-, mānava- and nātha-gurus, the latter being the embodiments of time. These too, as a reward for their ascetic practices, obtained their own place in the Śrı̄cakra behind the Nityā Tvaritā. Chapter 58 Tvaṣt̣ questioned Brahmā about the names of the gurus and asked him how the divine Consciousness arose from the fire of the altar in the form of a female being. In eulogizing Tripurā,1063 Brahmā explained that the supreme Śakti, who is made of Sound (śabda), appears as fourfold, namely as paśyantı ̄, madhyamā, vaikharı ̄ and parā. Mitreśa etc. are the teachers of Speech (vāc) and mantras (vidyā). Within the gross (sthūla) form of sound, i.e. vaikharı ̄, the divya gurus created by Mitreśa are connected with the musical notes (svara, namely Saḍja etc.); the siddhas created by Ṣaṣth ̣ ı̄sá are connected with the syllabic blocks (kūtạ ) of the mantras; the mānava gurus created by Uḍḍıs̄ á are connected with the phonemes (mātkā).1064 The nāthas created by Charyānātha are connected with the portions of time, of which Sound is made, and are called: Prakāsá , Vimarśa, Ā nanda, Jñāna, Satya, Pūrṇa, Svabhāva, Pratibha and Subhaga; they are the rulers of the uninterrupted traditions (ogha). Coming to the second question of Tvaṣt̣ , Brahmā explained that since in Mahādeva Consciousness arises from his third, fiery eye, one speaks of cidagni (“fire of Consciousness”); thus, in the same way, the divine Consciousness arose from the fire of the altar. Furthermore, such divine Consciousness should be meditated in the form of a female being because the whole universe is manifested thanks to the free will of the Goddess. To conclude, Brahmā said that the gods, demons and mortals who worship Tripurā attain the condition of sālokya, abiding in her city in their respective places; then in due time they attain union (sāyujya) with the Goddess. Finally, Brahmā enjoined Viśvakarman to build a city like the Śrı̄pura that he had described, on the peak of mount Meru, where the gods might always enjoy the vision of the Mother Tripurā.

Antecedents of the Fight between Bhaṇḍa and Lalitā Chapter 59 Resuming his narrative, Hayagrı̄va related that, after the army of the demons had been driven back by the flames produced by Jvālāmālinı̄,1065

Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya  243 Bhaṇḍa returned to his capital and met Nārada. The sage explained to him that the fire which had protected the gods was the work of Lalitā and told him that she intended to kill him. Since Bhaṇḍa reacted with arrogance, boasting of his valour, his wives pleaded with the sage to counsel caution to their husband. Nārada warned Bhaṇḍa against the approaching danger, extolling the deeds of the Goddess, recalling that she had slayed many demons, adding that even Mahādeva was born from a part of a leg of her throne. He thus advised Bhaṇḍa to propitiate Lalitā and content himself with ruling over the nether world only. To account for his behaviour, Bhaṇḍa told Nārada his own story. Formerly he had been a messenger of Lakṣmı̄, named Māṇikyaśekhara. Since he had tried to ravish a young kinnarı ̄, after rescuing her from drowning in the waters of the Ganges, he was cursed by Lakṣmı̄ to become a demon. Following his prayers, Lakṣmı̄ tempered her curse, to the effect that, after having lost his body and having existed in the form of wind for a long time, Māṇikyaśekhara would become a demon but, thanks to the merit acquired by having once saved the kinnarı ̄, as a demon he was to gain great power over the worlds and to satisfy all his desires; finally he would be killed by the Great Goddess and, upon reaching her abode, he would eventually attain liberation. Questioned then by Māṇikyaśekhara about the nature of the Great Goddess, Lakṣmı̄ answered as follows: O Māṇikyaśekhara, listen. The Goddess is everywhere the Supreme One, her own form is the great Consciousness. From the attributes of her nature Brahmā, Viṣnu ̣ and Hara [are born] in every universe as figures endowed with qualities; [87–88b] Iśvara, the god born from the three qualities, is the performer of [the function of] concealing; then – as it is said – Sadāsí va is the performer of [the function of bestowing] grace. [88c–89b] She shall create the whole [universe] out of grace, by means of her slight glance. [89cd] This great god (Maheśvara, i.e. Sadāsí va) creates [the world] in order to liberate, out of grace, the multitudes of individual souls bound by māyā from time immemorial. [90] There is no liberation for the individual souls during the dissolution of the world, on account of the state of emptiness; at the [new] creation of the world, being endowed with a body, they acquire the power of knowing. [91] Even He (Maheśvara) is a share of her. She appears as the essence [of everything], the soul of all beings, said [to be] the supreme power of Consciousness. [92] She alone is there, like a mirror on the surface of which the universe is taken as a picture; because of her making [everything] fully growing, she is called expressly brahman. [93] Neither female, nor eunuch, nor male, Tripurā has Consciousness as her body; inaccessible by word and mind, she is made of nonperceivable Consciousness. [94] She is the seventeenth Nityā, joined with Parameśvara. There are two limitative powers (kalā1066) of the Lord, the state of being an action and the state of being an agent; the action may be of sixteen types, but the state of being an agent is only

244  Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya one. [95–96b] The action consisting of sixteen types [is composed of] the ten senses, the five elements and the internal organ; the state of being an agent shall be the seventeenth, eternal limitative power (kalā) of Maheśit (Maheśvara). [96c–97] She, the Consciousness supporting the sixteen [ones, is] the cause of all. A part from her, there is nobody, neither the auspicious Bhaspati, nor Sadāsí va and Iś̄ vara, nor Śiva, Viṣṇu and Brahmā, nor the troops of the gods, men, women, animals, moving and stationary [beings], living [creatures] and inanimate [objects], nothing remains. [98–100b] As gold in ornaments, as water in the oceans, and as emptiness in ether, as touch and flowing in air (literally: in the next), as heat and form in fire, as vibration and taste in water, as smell and hardness in earth, in the same way she is everywhere. [100c–102b] For the salvation of the world, which appears out of herself as her play, she is superintending the city of the supreme Śrı̄cakra as the universal sovereign. [102c–103b] Born from the limbs of her body, we are named Vāc, Śrı̄, Gaurı̄, [103cd] and Kālı̄, arisen from her anger, joined with Mahākāla; then Tārā, born from her speech, joined with Bhairava; [104] Durgā, removing distress, arisen from her courage; Pratyaṅgirā (“the goddess of the Western mountain”), come forth from her cruelty, joined with the great Śarabha; [105] Śūlinı̄ (“Armed with a spear”), born from her heroism and Mālinı̄, arisen from her word; Caṇḍikā, [made] by her fierce voice, and Dhūmrā (“Smoke coloured”), [made] by her ferocious look. [106] Thus [we] all originated from the limbs of her body, indeed there is nobody beyond her. [107ab]”1067 After listening to Lakṣmı̄’s speech, Māṇikyaśekhara asked her a last favour: as a demon he wished to be born not from a womb, but from the body of a prominent devotee of the supreme Śakti, and he would never lose memory of his origin. Bhaṇḍa concluded his narrative by telling Nārada that, after being reborn from the body of Kāma, he had been ruling over the worlds for long time, enjoying every pleasure; now he was despondent and disgusted with worldly objects and awaited only death in war at the hands of Lalitā. Chapter 60 At the beginning of this chapter the narrative is interrupted by a brief appearance of the main characters of the frame story of the work, Sumedha and Nārada. The latter marvels at the knowledge and detailed exposition of the former. Then Sumedha resumes his narration, saying that Dattātreya related to Paraśurāma how Hayagrı̄va had told Agastya the story of Lalitā and Bhaṇḍa. Hayagrı̄va recalled how, after the gods had seen Tripurā/Lalitā arising from the fire and Kāmeśvara appearing out of her body, they had witnessed their wedding.1068 At that point Nārada arrived, announcing that Bhaṇḍa

Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya  245 intended to face Lalitā on the battlefield. The sage then asked why the demon, who was a great devotee of Tripurā, would be killed by the Goddess, and why he who had harassed the world, would attain liberation. Directed by Lalitā, Mantriṇı ̄ explained to him that a devotee of the Goddess should never die, and his desire should always be fulfilled; therefore, as a mother may give her child a healthful yet bitter medicine, in the same way the Goddess may kill her devotee and yet, ultimately, grant him a place at her feet. Lastly Mantriṇı ̄ reassured Nārada saying that he did not need to strive after emancipation, because he was a nityamukta (“ever liberated”). The gods urged Lalitā to assemble her retinue and prepare for battle. The Goddess advanced, mounted on her chariot with nine levels like the Śrı̄cakra, attended by the dhanurveda (“the science of archery”) in bodily form. She was surrounded by the śaktis of the Śrı̄cakra in due order: on the right side Mantriṇı,̄ her minister and counsellor, fond of song, music, and love play, was in a chariot with seven levels, accompanied by Śukaśyāmalā, Mātaṅgı̄ and many others; on the left side Sūkarānanā (Vārāhı̄), the embodiment of anger, was in a chariot with five levels, accompanied by Jambhinı̄ and other śaktis and by many baṭukas and yoginı ̄s. The young Bālā Tripurasundarı̄ was in the Laghucakra chariot; to her right was Sampatkarı̄ (“She who causes success”), bearing a goad, riding a formidable elephant called Raṇakolāhala; to her left was Aśvārūḍhā1069 (“Mounted on horseback”), riding the horse Aparājita endowed with auspicious marks and surpassing even Indra’s horse Ucchaiśravas, followed by innumerable śaktis mounted on horses.1070 The army of Lalitā filled the regions of space with music and songs of victory. At its sight the demons were frightened and Bhaṇḍa felt compassion for his kinsmen, who were going to die for his sake. He was tormented by doubts, wondering whether it would be better to die first, killed by the Goddess, leaving his relatives grieving over his death, or to die after all the demons had perished in battle, facing an inevitable and glorious death. He finally realized that his worries were vain because the whole world was like a dream; hence he surrendered to the Goddess, begging her to free him from delusion. Then, delighted and eagerly expecting his own death at the Goddess’s hands, he prepared his soldiers for the fight. Chapter 61 Bhaṇḍa left his capital, leading his akṣauhiṇı ̄ army, accompanied by his charioteer Dı̄rghagrı̄va (“Long-necked”), his sons beginning with Kuṭilākṣa (“Round-eyed”), his brothers Viṣaṅga and Viśukra and his ministers beginning with Ugrakarma (“Fierce in action”). As his army proceeded, with its huge number of elephants, chariots, horsemen and footmen, the royal highway looked like a river during the rainy season. On the advice of his minister Vijaya, Bhaṇḍa entrusted a messenger named Amitraghna (“He who kills enemies”) with a mandate to induce Lalitā to abandon the gods and seek refuge with himself; then he instructed

246  Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya a magician named Vidyunmālin (“Wreathed with lightning”) to act as a spy and ascertain the strength and plans of the troops of the Goddess. Amitraghna was captured by Kāñcanābhā, a servant of Daṇḍanāthā, and subsequently led to Lalitā. When he related his king’s message, Mantriṇı ̄ replied, on behalf of her queen, that it was Bhaṇḍa that should have surrendered to Lalitā, limiting himself to rule over the nether world only. Then, after he was shown the formidable army of the śaktis, the frightened demon returned to Bhaṇḍa. In the meantime, Vidyunmālin, who had transformed himself into an owl to better watch from above the movements of the enemy army, was intercepted by a guard; after a fierce fight, he managed to escape and returned to his king. Bhaṇḍa treated his wounds by reciting mantras on his body; then Vidyunmālin related the incidents that had occurred to Amitraghna and to himself and depicted the army of Lalitā as similar to an ocean at the time of the dissolution of the world. Chapter 62 Amitraghna related to his king the circumstances of his mission, passing on the answer to his message; he added that a śakti, who came to spy on the demons’ city and army, reported to Lalitā everything about them, even facts unknown to Bhaṇḍa himself. He thus warned the lord of the demons against the invincible power of the Goddess. Listening to this speech, Bhaṇḍa nurtured feelings of renouncement towards his kingdom. However, though mentally bowing before Tripurā, he behaved as an actor in a play, feigning an outburst of anger and scolded the messenger who extolled the strength of his enemy. Then, after Kuṭilākṣa had appointed five akṣauhiṇı ̄ armies for the protection of the capital, Bhaṇḍa set off to fight. Seeing the advance of the army of the demons, Bālāmbā, accompanied by Daṇḍinı̄, prepared for battle.

The Battle Chapter 63 At the outset of the battle Bālā Tripurasundarı̄, the eight-year-old daughter of Lalitā, advanced against the army of the demons mounted on her Laghucakra chariot and followed by Aśvārūdh ̣ ā and Sampatkarı̄, appointed to protect her. She looked like the great god of death appearing in the form of a young girl. Showing her valour, she attacked first Kuṭilākṣa, the commander in chief of the demons, then Viśukra, the younger brother of Bhaṇdạ . Chapter 64 After defeating Viśukra, Bālā ordered her charioteer to lead her to Bhaṇḍa. Viṣaṅga, the other younger brother of Bhaṇḍa, tried to obstruct her, but

Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya  247 he was beaten by the young goddess. Thus, without further obstacles, Bālā faced Bhaṇḍa. The demon was delighted and paid homage to her.1071 The charioteer of the goddess asked her why her enemy was worshipping her, and Bālā told him about the previous life of Bhaṇḍa, which explained his veneration for the daughter of Lalitā. Thereafter she blessed Bhaṇḍa, and a great fight began: the demon showed his great devotion and might and Bālā proved invincible. Chapter 65 Afterwards, although Bālā was reluctant to leave the battlefield, Aśvārūḍhā, directed by Daṇḍinı̄, brought her back to Lalitā. As Aśvārūḍhā related the exploits of the young goddess, Lalitā gently rebuked her daughter for having fought all alone. Then Daṇḍinı̄, mounted on her Kiricakra chariot, took the field to oppose Bhaṇḍa. While the army of the śaktis was bewildered by the magic power of Viśukra, Sampatkarı̄ fought against him and defeated him; in the meantime, Aśvarūḍhā attacked Viṣaṅga who, eventually, magically disappeared from the battlefield. After a fierce fight between Daṇḍinı̄ and Bhaṇḍa, who also resorted to his magic powers, the king of the demons was about to be beaten by the goddess, but he was saved by Lalitā who ordered her śakti to spare him. Finally Daṇḍinı̄, Sampatkarı̄ and Aśvarūḍhā returned in triumph to Lalitā, accompanied by Jayā and by several śaktis who, after the battle, had been revived by Amteśı.̄ Chapter 66 While Daṇḍinı̄, accompanied by Mantriṇı,̄ reported the victory of the śaktis to Lalitā, Bhaṇḍa returned to his capital, pretending to be distressed, but glad inside. When he met his wives, he told them that he was glad because, after being slain by Lalitā, he would eventually reach her abode; he also revealed to them that he showed distress to keep the truth secret from the demons. As his wives told him that they were prepared to share his lot, Bhaṇḍa assured them that the Goddess would fulfil their desire. Afterwards, in the assembly of the demons, Viśukra, Kūtị lākṣa and Durmada (“the Fierce”), one after the other, stepped forward to defeat the Goddess. Hence Durmada, bearing a mace, riding a camel, accompanied by many akṣauhiṇı ̄ armies, took to the field and confronted the gold-hued, red dressed Sampatkarı̄, riding the great elephant Raṇakolāhala. After a fierce battle opposing the two armies, the demon was killed by the goddess. Chapter 67 After learning about Durmada’s death, his elder brother Kuraṇḍa replaced him on the battlefield. The army of the śaktis, diversely hued and dressed

248  Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya in different colours, looked like a twilight sky covered with variegated clouds. Kuraṇḍa faced Aśvārūḍhā, who was gold-hued, splendid with her transparent garment and ornaments, bearing the noose, the goad, bow and arrows, and mounted on the horse Aparājita. After combat, the goddess tied the demon down with her noose and killed him with her goad.1072 Then Kuṭilākṣa engaged five demons, each leading an army: Karaṅka mounted on a chariot pulled by asses, Kākamukha on an elephant, Vajraloma on a chariot pulled by vultures, Vajradanta on a camel, and Vajravaktra on a donkey. These demons resorted to the magic power called Sarpiṇı ̄ (“Female serpent”), that produced many snakes which assailed the troops of the śaktis. Hence Lalitā brought forth from her palate a great golden śakti called Nakulı̄1073 (“Female ichneumon”, i.e. mongoose), who was the goddess of Speech (vāgdevı ̄) sitting on the great bird (Garuḍa),1074 and ordered her to destroy Sarpiṇı.̄ Nakulı̄ created, out of her hair, many powerful mongooses, which killed Sarpiṇı ̄ and all her serpents. Finally, Nakulı̄ defeated the demons, beginning with Karaṅka, and after having reabsorbed the mongooses into her body, returned victorious to Lalitā.1075 Chapter 68 After the defeat of the demons, Viṣaṅga and Kuṭilākṣa, both deluded by Tripurā’s power of illusion, planned to assemble a great army with a view to counterattack the troops of the śaktis and capture Lalitā. Then Lalitā ordered Mantriṇı ̄ and Danḍiṇı ̄ to gather all the śaktis and set out to the battlefield. After a fierce combat, as the demons were about to surrender, Viśukra resorted to the seven brothers Balāhaka, Kālamukha, Vikarṇa, Vikaṭānana, Śūcı̄mukha, Karālākṣa and Karaṭa, and ordered them to scorch the s ́aktis by casting their glances upon them. In fact, thanks to their ascesis, they had obtained from Śūrya the power of burning with their eyes. Thereupon Mantriṇı ̄ remembered the śakti Tiraskariṇikā (“the Curtain”), the protectress of the Śrı̄cakra. Once evoked, she appeared, riding a black horse, dark blue-hued, with dark blue garments and jewels, enveloped by darkness, invisible to all except for those she consented to see her. Ordered by Mantriṇı,̄ she set out to fight the demons, followed by a host of similar śaktis. By creating a weapon called Andha (“Darkness”), she turned all the demons blind, and began to slaughter them; in the meantime, Amteśı ̄ was restoring to life the śaktis which had fallen on the battlefield. Finally, Tiraskaraṇikā conquered the demons with the burning eyes, and when they died, the sun set.1076 Chapter 69 After sunset the battlefield was immersed in darkness, so that the fighters were not even able to distinguish their comrades in arms from their

Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya  249 enemies. Mantriṇı ̄ remembered the great goddess Jvālāmukhı̄ (“Flamemouthed”), who was born as a share of Tripurā; once evoked, she appeared like a glowing mountain pervading with its flames all quarters of space and dispelled the darkness. Combat resumed: Bhaṇḍa’s thirty sons fought against Bālā, his sixty nephews beginning with Ulūkajit (“Conquering the owl”) fought against Aśvārūḍhā and Sampatkarı̄, his ministers beginning with Ugraka (“the Terrible”) fought against Tiraskaraṇikā. All these demons were defeated by the goddesses. Kuṭilākṣa faced Daṇḍinı̄ and was slain by her guard Jambhinı̄, whereas Viśukra, after a fierce struggle with Mantriṇı,̄ fell unconscious on the ground and was brought back to the city of the demons. Meanwhile Viṣaṅga, heading many akṣauhinı ̄ armies, surrounded the Śrı̄cakra chariot, trying to abduct Lalitā. But the s ́aktis guarding the chariot, prevented by Lalitā, aware of Viṣaṅga’s intentions, strove to repulse the demons. Chapter 70 It was the dead of night when Kāmeśvarı̄ and the other Nityās, which mounted guard over the Śrı̄cakra, summoned Jvālāmālinı̄ to shed light on the army of the demons. Then, after the Nityā goddesses of the lunar days had defeated the demons led by Damana, Kāmeśvarı̄ began to fight against Viṣaṅga. Using his magic power, the demon created many fearsome objects, then he assumed a huge, dreadful, blackish-tawny form emitting fire, with one thousand faces and millions of feet, and moved forward to attack the goddess. But Kāmeśvarı̄ threw a missile resisting illusion, which made all magic vanish; then she tied Viṣaṅga down with her noose consecrated with mantras and took him to the Śrı̄cakra chariot, before Lalitā. Mantriṇı ̄ ordered to release the prisoner and to send him back to Bhaṇḍa, so that he might relate the happenings to his king. Later, since the śaktis were tired after the long combat, Mantriṇı ̄ asked Lalitā to let them take a rest. Hence, directed by her queen, she ordered Jvālāmālinı̄ to create a rampart of flames, within which the śaktis could lie and rest in the open. At the centre of that rampart, in the Śrı̄cakra chariot, the venerable mother Lalitā remained.1077 Chapter 71 Dejected by his defeat, Viṣaṅga reached the demons’ army and related everything to his brother Viśukra. To console him, Viśukra decided to resort to the vighnayantra, which had the power to create obstacles for the enemies, and whose use he had once learned from Paraśurāma. Thus, with the consent of Bhaṇḍa, he performed the appropriate Tantric ritual:

250  Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya After bathing according to the rules for purification, he fashioned the yantra that causes obstacles, quickly delineating that yantra on a stony slab. [38] He then worshipped therein the demon-goddess who creates obstacles, by offering various oblations beginning with spirituous liquor and meat. [39] He smeared his own naked body with ashes from a cremation ground [and] drank some spirituous liquor from a skullcup, according to the left hand [ritual] practices. [40] [Then,] facing the South, he muttered a mantra while wearing a garland [made of] bones, surrounded by several naked young women. [41]1078 Then Viśukra gave the consecrated yantra to Viṣaṅga and instructed him to throw it in the middle of the army of the śaktis, in front of the chariot of Lalitā. Viṣaṅga reached the rampart of flames surrounding the śaktis and, frightened by the fire, he flew up to the sky and, from above, dropped the yantra amid the śaktis’ army. Thereafter the demons tried several times to assault the blazing rampart, but each time they were repulsed by the high flames; finally, they managed to throw their missiles through the gate of the rampart. Daṇḍinı̄ incited the śaktis to react, but because of the obstructing influence of the yantra, they refused to fight.1079 Daṇḍinı̄, surprised, reported the fact to Mantriṇı,̄ and the latter called upon Lalitā for help. Chapter 72 Solicited by Mantriṇı,̄ Lalitā cast her smiling, luminous, loving glance on the face of Kāmeśvara, and from the union of her glance and his face the red-hued Gaṇeśa was born. In his right hands he bore the mace, the trident, the conch, the lotus and the tusk, and in his left hands the citron, the bow, the disc, the noose and the cluster of grains; holding a pot filled with gems in his trunk, he was three-eyed, wearing a red garment, adorned with ornaments and the moon’s digit; embraced by his sá kti, he was dripping his temple-juice. He bowed before Lalitā, asking her what to do. Directed by her, the god who destroys obstacles smashed the vighnayantra with his tusk. Then he came out of the rampart of flames and began to slaughter the demons. After he had defeated both Viṣaṅga and Viśukra, Bhaṇḍa created a powerful demon in the form of an elephant, Gajāsura, and sent him to fight against Gaṇeśa. In the meantime, the sá ktis, who had roused themselves after the destruction of the vighnayantra, joined battle again with the demons. Bālā proceeded accompanied by Mantriṇı ̄ and Daṇḍinı̄ and followed by the army of the sá ktis, and Lalitā herself set out to war, seated on the Śrı̄cakra chariot, and followed by Tiraskariṇı.̄ As the army of the demons was destroyed by the sá ktis, the thirty sons of Bhaṇḍa entered the battlefield.

Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya  251 Chapter 73 Agastya interrupted the account of the battle, asking Hayagrı̄va to give full details about the fight between Gaṇeśa and Gajāsura. As the latter created many demons equal to him, Gaṇeśa too created crores of Gaṇeśas, and after a fierce fight all the demons were destroyed by the gods. Hence Gaṇeśa reabsorbed all his replicas into his body, in order to face Gajāsura alone, and finally he killed him by tearing his heart out with his tusk.1080 Afterwards Gaṇeśa approached Bhaṇḍa to defy him, but the latter invoked the Mother, Lalitā, praying to be killed by her alone; hence the Goddess, to fulfil the desire of her devotee, ordered Gaṇeśa to refrain from fighting. At that point Bālā, resembling the great Death (mahākāla), showed her prowess by fighting all alone, first against the army of the demons, then against the sons of Bhaṇḍa, and finally against Viṣaṅga and Viśukra. She triumphed over all of them and killed all the sons of Bhaṇḍa.1081 Chapter 74 After Mantriṇı ̄ and Daṇḍinı̄ had announced the victory of Bālā, Lalitā seated the young goddess by her side. Meantime Bhaṇḍa, though grieving the loss of his sons, was eagerly expecting his own death at the hands of Lalitā. He prayed to her to fulfil his desire, to let him reach her abode, difficult even for the yogins to reach; then, as he was meditating upon her, he attained the state of deep absorption (nirvikalpa samādhi). Viśukra and Viṣaṅga arrived and, since Bhaṇḍa, rousing from his meditation, was mourning his sons – concealing his true frame of mind – they decided to launch a new attack against the Śrı̄cakra chariot. As they approached, followed by their armies, Daṇḍinı̄ came out through the Southern gate (the right side) of the Śrı̄cakra in her Kiricakra chariot, which had five levels, was pulled by two lions and one buffalo, and driven by Bhairava; she was accompanied by Svapneśvarı̄ (“the Lady of sleep”) and Kālasaṅkarṣā, and followed by baṭukas, Kālikās and Vārāhı̄s. Through the Northern gate (the left side) of the Śrı̄cakra came Mantriṇı ̄ in her Geyacakra chariot, which had seven levels, was pulled by four horses, and driven by Śyāmalā; at her right side were the s ́aktis called Śukās, Śarikās and Śyāmalās, at her left side Saṅgitaśyāmalā and Sāhityaśyāmalā, and at the back Laghuśyāmalā. The Śyāmalās śaktis, arisen out of the body of Mantriṇı,̄ were sixteen-year-old girls, wearing red garments and ornaments of nine gems; they were drinking spirituous liquor and delighted in poetry, singing, music, and amorous plays. The sons of Viśukra, Jı̄mūtakāya (“the Cloud-bodied”), Devāri, Karambha and Śikhibhāsạ ṇa clashed with Śukaśyāmalā, Śārikā, Saṅgitaśyāmalā and Sahityaśyāmalā, respectively, and were all killed by the śaktis. Then Viśukra approached the Śyāmalās’ chariot and, after a fight against Laghuśyāmalā and the other śaktis, was eventually killed by Mantriṇı.̄

252  Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya Chapter 75 ́ cakra continued, with Viṣaṅga and his eight sons The assault against the Srı̄ facing Daṇdị nı̄ and her śaktis. The demon Karālavaktra (“With a terrible mouth”) fought against the śakti Jambhinı̄, who was riding a boar; Viśikha (“Devoid of the tuft of hair”), riding a camel, against Stambhinı̄, riding an antelope; Vibhaṇdạ , riding a mule, against Andhinı̄, riding a buffalo; Vikaṭekṣaṇa, riding a vulture, against Mohinı̄, riding Garuḍa. Indraśatru, riding a serpent, fought against Bhairava, who was like a black cloud, attended by a huge number of similar bhairavas, all bearing a trident and a stick, three-eyed, moon-crowned, resembling black clouds, adorned with snakes, covered with a hide. Surārāti, riding a crow, fought against Kālakarṣiṇı,̄ riding a buffalo; Mahākukṣi, riding a wolf, against Svapneśvarı̄, mounted on a chariot. Madoddhata fought against Baṭukabhairava, attended by a huge number of similar five-year-old baṭukabhairavas, bearing a large skull and a stick, adorned with serpents, naked, with red eyes, dark, moon-crowned. After a great battle all the sons of Viṣaṅga were killed by the śaktis. After the death of his sons, Viṣaṅga, seeing that his army was about to be defeated by the śaktis, attacked the Kiricakra chariot of Daṇḍinı̄ and battled with her. Realizing that she was invincible, he resorted to magic (māyā) but alerted by her charioteer Bhairava, Daṇḍinı̄ threw a missile resisting illusion (nirmāyāstra), which destroyed all magic. Then she killed Viṣaṅga.1082 Chapter 76 Learning of the death of his brothers and nephews, Bhaṇḍa was grieving from delusion; but after reflection he was delighted at the prospect of being close to death at the hands of Lalitā, thereby fulfilling his most fervent desire. However, concealing his feelings, he assembled the remains of his army and, mounted on a chariot pulled by one thousand lions, set upon Lalitā. The Goddess also prepared her troops to fight. Aśvarūḍhā led the horse forces and Sampatkarı̄ the elephant forces, then Bālā followed. Next was the great Śrı̄cakra chariot (cakrarājamahāratha) of Mahātripurasundarı̄: it had nine levels, its horses were the five senses, and its driver was the faculty of discrimination (viveka). On either side of the Śrı̄cakra, Daṇḍinı̄ and Mantriṇı ̄ mounted their Kiricakra and Geyacakra chariots. Behind was the dark Tiraskaraṇikā. During a great, violent battle the s á ktis killed all the leaders of the demons. Since Bhaṇḍa was rejoicing in the fierce fight which was going on, his charioteer, astonished by the king’s indifference to the death of his brothers and sons, asked him the reason for his behaviour. Thus Bhaṇḍa, extolling the supremacy of Lalitā, disclosed to his faithful charioteer his own story, also expressing his wish to be killed by the Goddess and attain her abode. In the end the charioteer also bowed with devotion before Lalitā.

Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya  253 Chapter 77 At last, Bhaṇḍa and Lalitā were facing each other on the battlefield. Reaching the Śrı̄cakra chariot, Bhaṇḍa mentally bowed with devotion before the Goddess and worshipped her by throwing five wonderful arrows against her.1083 While Lalitā was pleased, the gods who witnessed the battle were very surprised. Then Bhaṇḍa began to scold her with words concealing a secret meaning.1084 Pleased by this obscure speech, the Mother Lalitā promised Bhaṇḍa that she would fulfil his desire. They began to fight. At first Bhaṇḍa created the demons enemies of Viṣṇu, Madhu, Kaiṭhaba etc., but from her fingernails Lalitā created the ten avatāras of Viṣṇu who defeated these demons. Afterwards Bhaṇḍa created the enemies of Śiva, Andhaka etc., but out of her third eye Lalitā created Mahādeva who defeated all his enemies. Then Bhaṇḍa recreated the leaders of the demons, Viṣaṅga etc. and their armies; when they were killed fighting against the śaktis, they were immediately restored to life by Bhaṇḍa. Hence, entreated by Mantriṇı,̄ Lalitā threw a missile called Pāsú patāstra, which reduced the entire army of the demons to ashes. Afterwards, violent earthquakes shook the earth, the ocean became agitated, meteors showered from the sky and the horizon was pervaded by flames. Seeing the loss of his army, Bhaṇḍa meditated on the lotus-like feet of Lalitā; while he was absorbed in meditation, the Goddess threw an arrow joined with the Kāmeśāstra, which burnt Bhaṇḍa and his capital city Śūnyaka to ashes.1085 Brahmā and the other gods celebrated the triumph of Lalitā, the gandharvas sang, the apsaras danced, the ṣi s recited hymns of praise, the siddhas repeated the names of the Goddess and the munis meditated on her form. With the death of Bhaṇdạ , the world was as if created anew, after its dissolution.

Lalitā Triumphant Chapter 78 The gods saluted Lalitā with a hymn of praise:1086 Hymn in Praise of Lalitā Triumph, triumph o Mother Lalitā! What desired fruit may not be granted to [your] devotees by the homage [paid] to your lotus-like feet? Moreover [that homage] immediately bestows on those who have resorted [to you] for protection, the excellent divine trees which, by nature, fulfil desires. [2] We [who are] here assembled, [having been] struck by adversity, [with our] troops tormented by the fire of the dreadful ascetic, by the flaming ardour of the demon Bhaṇḍa, [having been] submerged in an ocean of immeasurable terror, have we not been immediately raised towards heaven precisely thanks to that [homage]? [3] This lotus-like foot of yours, which destroys the pain in the heart of those who, [though being] important people, bow respectfully [to you],

254  Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya which restrains the dense illusion of those who, [despite being] wicked persons, have resorted [to you for refuge], which is the warp of the souls of all living beings, movable and immovable, [and] which is the ruler of the worlds, is ever flourishing. [4] O Mother, the manifestation of all the worlds is your play. How could there have been effort on your part in the fight against the demons? Let there [instead] always be [effort] on our part in [keeping] our minds free from passions [and] our conduct, [which] is affected by [our] inclinations, pure and clear! [5] The wild goose which is at your feet, which is the sole source of true discriminating knowledge for those who, [having been] dull for a long time, are gathered [here], is one to whom prayers are offered. [6]1087 As peace had been restored in the universe, all the gods led by Brahmā came to celebrate the victory of the Goddess. Viśvakarman showed her Śrı̄pura, the city that he had built for her on the peak of mount Meru as a reflection of the great Śrı̄pura, and Lalitā consented to dwell there. Brahmā, accompanied by gods and sages, and attended by Bhaspati and Vasiṣth ̣ a, performed the ritual of royal consecration (mahārājābhiṣeka) of the Goddess, sprinkling her with water coming from various rivers and seas, carried in pots studded with the nine gems. Lalitā sat on her ́ cakra throne formed by the five great gods beginning with Brahmā Srı̄ ́ prostrated themselves (pañcabrahmākāramañca), and Brahmā, Viṣnu ̣ and Siva before her, worshipped her and extolled her with hymns of praise. Then Lalitā assigned to each śakti a suitable place in the city on mount Meru, just as in the great Śrı̄pura. Accepting the royal ensigns, the parasol etc., by force of compassion, for play, she – who was nothing but Consciousness and bliss – had assumed her beautiful bodily form. After listening to the end of this narrative, Agastya inquired about the location of Śr ı̄pura and wondered whether it might be possible to contemplate it. Hayagrı̄va said that the city of the Goddess was visible only by those who worship Tripurā with the prescribed ritual; if Agastya wished to see it, he should be initiated by Lopāmudrā, and should devote himself to the adoration of Tripurā. Finally, Hayagrı̄va praised the Lalitāmāhātmya, whose listening calls forth devotion to Tripurā and thereby represents the first step towards the attainment of the supreme abode and of one’s own self.

Conclusion Chapter 79 After listening to the Lalitāmāhātmya, Paraśurāma was delighted and, full of devotion, saluted Dattātreya and Saṃvarta reverentially. Then he asked his guru why Agastya, though well versed in the Veda and in the śāstras, was not able to see Śrı̄pura.

Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya  255 In answering Paraśurāma’s question, Dattātreya declared that only the initiation obtained from a guru belonging to a line of spiritual teachers (gurupaddhati) entitles the adept to perform the worship (upāsana) of Tripurā, which eventually grants liberation. Conversely, the sādhaka who intends to worship the Goddess or to master her mantra without a proper initiation will meet his own doom and will cause irremediable offence to the mantra-deity. He stated that those who limit themselves to follow the teachings of the Veda are not qualified to worship Tripurā. The Veda is characterized by the qualities of the material world (guṇamaya), Vedic ritual is directed towards mundane goals, is dependent on man, and hence it cannot grant liberation. Tantric ritual instead is directed towards God, is characterized by faith and devotion, and grants supernatural powers (siddhi) as well as liberation (mokṣa, kaivalya). Saṃnyāsins too, who renounce everything, should not abstain from the worship of the Goddess and the practice of the Śrı̄vidyā. Even ignorant people, if initiated to the Śrı̄vidyā, may attain the state of Śiva (s ́ivatā), knowledge and liberation. He reminded Paraśurāma that without Tripurā’s compassion there could be neither a path towards liberation (sādhana), nor its goal (phala); moreover, without worshipping the Śakti, the worship of other gods is fruitless. Dattātreya summarized the Śākta doctrine as follows: O descendant of Bhgu (Paraśurāma), also in the world he who is devoid of power (as á kta) shall not be worthy of honour anywhere. Because of [their] connection, without Śiva, Śakti never exists; [54] so also Śiva without Śakti, who is the self of his own being, [does not exist]. Indeed, where and when might the sun exist without its illuminating power? [55] Anyway how might Śiva be without Śakti, [who is] Consciousness? How might even a blade of grass exist without the power of Consciousness? [56] Truly Consciousness is everything, it is not at all otherwise. O descendant of Bhgu, know that whatever exists is Consciousness. [57] This is the Śākta doctrine, [maintaining that] there exists nothing different from the I. According to such a view, any blade of grass has the nature of Tripurā. [58]1088 Dattātreya explained that Parameśvara, desiring the salvation of all beings, revealed the Āgamas arising out of the Veda, the secret core of which is in truth Tripurā. From the churning of the ocean of the Āgamas, the sages obtained the Tantras, which are the essence of the Āgamas and which deal with mantras, yantras and the rules for the worship (pūjā) of Tripurā. Ultimately, there is no difference between Veda and Tantra. Both the twice born who have been purified by the śrautasaṃskāras and the śudras are entitled to practise the teachings of the Tantras.

256  Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya This is why – concluded Dattātreya – Agastya, who originally was only a vaidika, was not able to see Śrı̄pura without a Tantric initiation. But after listening to the celebration of the Goddess, having been initiated by Lopāmudrā and having worshipped Tripurā, he could see Śrı̄pura and obtain his place there together with his spouse. Chapter 80 Paraśurāma asked Dattātreya by which special ritual (viśeṣa karman) – after having been initiated and having performed the regular worship (ārādhana, nityakriyā) of Tripurā – a king, or a poor man, could quickly obtain a great reward. Dattātreya then expounded the best method of worship, which pleases the supreme Śakti.1089 After having installed and consecrated as prescribed either a Śrı̄cakra or a cult image (mūrti) of the Goddess in a temple (prāsāda), one should perform its worship five times daily, as well as in the days of the changes of the moon; during the festivals (utsava) the cult image (pratimā) should be brought in procession, accompanied by music and dances. He who worships in this way will attain, after death, the sapphire rampart of Śrı̄pura. He who, unable to do this, installs a Śrı̄cakra in a temple built by another, will be freed from rebirth, and will gradually attain union (sāyujya) with the Goddess. He who lives near a consecrated Śrı̄cakra will dwell in the golden rampart of Śrı̄pura. In describing the worship of the Śrı̄cakra, Dattātreya explained that one should worship the deities surrounding the Śrı̄cakra (parivāradevatā), who are aspects (aṃ sá ) of Tripurā and are appointed to grant the desires of human beings. Tripurā, who dwells in the binducakra, is the self (aikyātmā) of all these sá ktis. One should worship by offering the items that one can afford. A man or a woman who worship the Goddess in her cakra by uttering her thousand names shall be rid of all sins, as was said by Śiva himself. The cult of the Goddess should begin on Venus day (Friday): after propitiating Gaṇeśa, one should offer five services (upacāra), beginning with flowers, to the Goddess and utter her thousand names, which should then be repeated daily. This can be done either by oneself along with one’s offspring, or by a brāhman. In the end, one should install a golden pot (kalaśa), decorated with a thread and a cloth, on a Sarvatobhadra diagram endowed with nine yonis (navayonisamāyuta), where some rice has been poured. While uttering a mantra (manum uccaran), the pot, made fragrant with incense, should be filled with perfumed water, five gems and five kinds of sprouting seeds. In front of the pot, one should place the cult image (pratikti) of the Goddess, then invoke her and worship her. One should then worship the deities of the Sarvatobhadra diagram, by doing the prādakṣiṇya, in due order, namely: the guardians of the ten quarters of the sky in their respective directions and in the four chains (śṅkhalā); Dharma and other deities in the middle, in white mansions; Adharma and other deities halfway,

Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya  257 in red mansions; the pairs of Asitāng ̇ a and the other [bhairavas] are to be worshipped in the threefold three-coloured line (guṇatrayam) round the diagram. Afterwards one should worship the throne (pı̄tḥ a) of Tripurā and the Goddess herself, by offerings (upacāra) of flowers and so forth. At midnight, either by oneself or through an expert ācār ya, one should worship Tripurā along with her consort Kāmeśvara (cakranāyaka) in the Sarvatobhadra diagram, to the West of the pot. Then, after having worshipped a girl (kumār ı ̄), a boy (baṭuka), the guru, a married woman (suvāsinı ̄) and the brāhmans, once the pūjā is completed, one should stay awake all night, intent in the Goddess’s stories, songs, and dances. The next day one should worship Kāmeśvara (cakranāyaka) again, making a thousand offerings of flowers into the fire. After the worship, the pot with its cloth, the cult image (pratimā) and the fees (dakṣinā) should be given to the suvāsinı ̄. Then one should feed sixteen brāhmans, eight married women, boys, and girls. Thanks to this worship one will be freed from all sins, and the favour of Tripurā will grant all desires, a happy life and, eventually, liberation (mokṣa). At this point Dattātreya detailed the types of flowers, fruits and grains to be offered in worshipping the Goddess, and the respective benefits accordingly obtained; he added that in offering lamps, the names of the Goddess should be repeated. He also explained how to sprinkle (abhiṣeka) the Śrı̄cakra with various liquids – either by oneself or through an expert ­brāhman – while reciting either the Śrı̄sūkta, or the Rudra mantras. After describing this method of worship, suitable for rich people, Dattātreya said that poor people may acquire merit by visiting sacred places of pilgrimage (tı ̄rtha), whereas simple people may render service in the temples. Those who serve in the temple of the Goddess will obtain a place in Śrı̄pura after death, according to the type of service rendered by them: he who paints pictures of the Goddess will dwell in the Spring rampart; he who cleans the temple and bathes the cult image will stay in the Moon rampart; he who illuminates the temple with lamps at night will stay in the Sun rampart. The learned man who reads and teaches the stories about the Goddess and the authoritative scriptures will obtain, after death, a place in the coral rampart of Śrı̄pura. In addition, by giving various kinds of gifts to the devotees (upāsaka), one obtains a corresponding place in Śrı̄pura. The best gift is that of a Śrı̄cakra: on a full moon day one should worship with the prescribed offerings a brāhman devoted to Tripurā along with his wife; then, after having given leave to the deity, one should feed as many brāhmans as there are goddesses in the Śrı̄cakra, and sixteen married women, by invoking the sixteen Nityās. Pleased by the gift of a Śrı̄cakra – which is the image of the whole world (sarvajagadrūpapratima) – the great Goddess will grant the donor union (sāyujya) with herself. Finally, Dattātreya mentioned the merits acquired by installing a Śrı̄cakra, donating a cult image of the Goddess, renovating a damaged temple and reviving an abandoned cult of the Śrı̄cakra. To the great

258  Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya

merit acquired by handing down the Śrı̄vidyā tradition (sampradāya) and performing initiations, and even by donating a scripture of the tradition (vidyālikhitadāna), he opposed the blemishes of those who obstruct all this. To conclude, Dattātreya emphasized once more that the devotion arising by listening to the māhātmyakhaṇdạ of the Tripurārahasya – which is the nectar of immortality obtained by churning the ocean of the Āgamas – leads ultimately to liberation.

Notes 835 The vocative triṇe – composed of tri (three) and ṇa, a masculine name which may signify “knowledge” or “ornament” – is read as a bahuvrı ̄hi compound which may refer to the vidyā (knowledge) of the Goddess, i.e. her mantra, the Śrı̄vidyā, which is composed of three syllabic blocks (kūtạ ). However, since triṇa ̄ is not found elsewhere as epithet of Tripurā, it is tempting to emend the text as trike and to translated it as “o Threefold [one]”; in fact Tripurā is in many ways threefold (see below, note 842). 836 TR, mk, 1, 1–4: o namaḥ kāraṇan ̄ andahr̥dbı̄jākāsá gā triṇe | yallı̄lāleśalasitā lokālokānḍ ạ reṇavaḥ || 1 || yadakṣaraṃ paraṃ brahma jaganmālāmaṇiprabham | sarvaṃ sarvātmakaṃ sarvasāraṃ sarvapadās ́rayam || 2 || yadevāsé ṣasaṃ ­ sāradalabı̄jaṃ śivātmakam | śivarūpaṃ śaktirūpaṃ brahmarūpasvarūpakam || 3 || tripurāṃ parameśānı̄ṃ mahāpralayasākṣiṇı ̄m | dagdhakāmojjı̄vanāya sudhāsārāṃ namāmy aham || 4 ||. 837 See Ibidem, 20d: viṣnọ r aṃs ́a. 838 See Ibidem, 21c: viṣnọ r dattātreyamūrteḥ, and Ibidem, 3, 2ab: śrı̄viṣnọ r aṃs ́ayogı̄s ́o dattātreyo. 839 The passage containing the description of the dı ̄kṣa ̄ (vv. 42c–51b) is quoted, translated and commented in Part I, Chapter 1. 840 See TR, mk, 1, 51: … śr ı ̄śailaṃ … tatra śrı ̄bhrāmarı ̄ devı ̄ nityasannihitā sthitā || 51cd ||. The name of this goddess, deriving from the causative of the root bhram (“to be perplexed, doubt, err”), may allude to the power of illusion of the Goddess. Bhrāmarı̄ of Śrı̄sailam in Andhra, together with Mı̄nakṣı ̄ of Madurai (Hālāsya) and Kāmākṣı ̄ of Kāñcı̄, testify to the “absorption by Tripurasundarı̄ of major South Indian popular goddesses” (Sanderson 2017: 8–9, note 10). 841 The passage describing the appearance of Bālā (vv. 56c–59b) is quoted, translated and commented in Part II, Chapter 3. 842 According to the traditional etymology advocated also by the text, the name of Tripurā is to be understood as composed by the indeclinable purā (“before”) and the numeral tri (“three”); here, three means the threefold sequence (krama) of manifestation, maintenance and reabsorption of the three worlds, which are all shining forth (ullāsa) from the supreme Consciousness, the Goddess. Multiple explanations are given for the Goddess’s name in the texts of the Tripurā tradition (see the relevant entry in TAK III 2013: 126–127). As noted by Padoux, V. Dviveda’s Introduction to the NṢA contains a summary of the explanations of the name of Tripurasundarı̄ to be found in various texts [see Padoux (ed.) 1994: 72, note 133]. In the fourth paṭala of the NṢA, Tripurā is associated with various triads. She is the mother of the three worlds: O dear, the supreme Tripurā [is] the first Śakti, manifest from the beginning, the mother generating the three worlds with [their] gross and subtle distinctions; [she is] the embodied whole multitude of the

Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya  259 swallowed tattvas. [4–5b] Indeed in her developed [state] there is none other to be wished. [5cd] NṢA, 4, 4–5: tripurā paramā śaktir ādyā jātāditaḥpriye | sthūlasūkṣmavibhedena trailokyotpattimātr̥kā || 4 || kavalı̄kr̥taniśśeṣatattvagrāmasvarūpiṇı ̄ | asyāṃ pariṇatāyāṃ tu na kaścit para iṣyate || 5 || [Dviveda (ed.) 1985: 193, 195]. Moreover, she takes the forms of Vāmā, Jyeṣth ̣ ā and Raudrı̄ (see below, note 862), and of the gods Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Śiva; she is endowed with three kinds of energy (jñāna-, kriyā- and icchā-śakti), and she abides in the triangle within the Śrı̄cakra: [As] Vāmā [she is] a flame, then [as] Jyeṣt ̣hā she takes the shape of a triangle, but as Raudrı̄, o supreme Lady, she swallows the worlds. [9c–10b] ́ This [is] the supreme Sakti, the One, supreme Lady, the threefold Tripurā, the Goddess taking the forms of Brahmā, Viṣnu ̣ and Iś̄ a, consisting of energy of knowledge, energy of action and energy of will, o dear. [10c–11] [Since she] creates the three worlds, she is called Tripurā. [12ab] Ibidem, 9c–12b: vāmā śikhā tato jyeṣtḥ ā śr̥ṅgātạ ̄kāratāṃ gatā || 9cd || raudrı̄ tu parameśāni jagadgrasanarūpiṇı ̄ | eṣā sā paramā śaktir ekaiva parameśvarı̄ || 10 || tripurā trividhā devı̄ brahmaviṣnṿ ı̄s ́arūpiṇı ̄ | jñānaśaktiḥ kriyās ́aktir icchās ́aktyātmikā priye || 11 || trailokyaṃ saṃsr̥jaty eṣā tripurā parikı̄rtyate | 12ab [Dviveda (ed.) 1985: 202–207]. She is also associated with the three tattvas and with the three syllabic blocks of her mantra: … This not manifest Tripurā becomes manifest: designated as the three tattvas, consisting of the three phonemes (varṇa) and energies (śakti). [16] … Thus the three-syllable goddess Mahātripurasundarı̄ is known by the tradition as she who liberates from the bondage of beings. [18c–19b] Ibidem, 16, 18c–19b: … svayam avyaktā tripurā vyaktim āgatā | tattvatrayavinirdiṣtạ ̄ varṇaśaktitrayātmikā || 16 || evaṃ devı̄ tryakṣarā tu mahātripurasundarı̄ || 18cd || pāramparyeṇa vijñātā bhavabandhavimokṣaṇı ̄ | 19ab [Dviveda (ed.) 1985: 215, 217]. In his commentary on YH, 1, 6, Amtānanda also explains the name of Tripurā as she who is before various triads [see Padoux (ed.) 1994: 105 and note 54]. Commenting YH, 1, 78cd, Amtānanda specifies that Tripurā is so-called because she existed before the three cosmic phases of emanation, etc. and because she is without beginning and end; see Dı̄pikā on YH, 1 78cd: tripurāyāḥ sṣtỵ ādibhyaḥ purā vidyamānatvāt tatpadābhidheyāyā anādyantarūpāyāḥ [Dviveda (ed.) 1988: 95; see also Padoux (ed.) 1994: 174]. Moreover, Amtānanda states that she is Tripurā because she has the nature of the fourth principle; see Dı̄pikā on YH, 1, 85ab: tripurā turyarūpatvāt [Dviveda (ed.) 1988: 101; see also Padoux (ed.) 1994: 178 and note 321]. The same definition is also found in Dı̄pikā on YH, 3, 41c–42b [Dviveda (ed.) 1988: 243; see also Padoux (ed.) 1994: 284 and note 56]. As the fourth beyond the three, she transcends and subsumes all triads, thereby pertaining to the highest level of Reality. In the Prapañcasāratantra (PST) (“The Tantra [dealing with] the Essence of the Expansion of the Universe”), a Tantric text ́ karācārya [see Avalon (ed.) 1981: 1–4], Chapter 9 dubiously attributed to Saṅ deals with the worship of Tripurā. In his summary of the work, Avalon writes regarding her name: “She is called Tripurā, because, She is the Creatrix of the three Mūrtis; and is in the three Vedas; She too on the dissolution of the three worlds fills all space; and existed before the Three were” (Ibidem: 27). In the footnote he adds:

260  Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya So according to the Kālikā Purāṇa, She is so-called because through the operation of Pradhāna Her body became threefold as Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Rudra. She is also threefold because the Maṇḍala is triangular; the Mantra has three syllables; there are three states (avasthā) and so forth. (Ibidem: 27, note 3) In the LSN, Tripurā is the epithet 626 (LSN, 2, 125c). In his commentary Bhāskararāya quotes several sources where Tripurā, as anterior to the three, is associated with various triads: the three gods (Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Rudra), the three nāḍ ı ̄s (Suṣumnā, Iḍā and Piṅgalā), the triad of manas, buddhi and citta, the three Vedas and so forth; thus whatever in the world is threefold is related to her name [see Paṇsı́ k̄ ar (ed.) 1935: 133 and R. A. Sastry (ed.) 1976: 254]. For further information on the symbolic etymologies (nirvacana) of the name Tripurā, see Khanna 1986: 84–86. 843 TR, mk, 1, 61–70: jaya śrı ̄tripure mātar jaya bālāmbike pare | jaya bhaktapriye nityaṃ jaya kāruṇyavigrahe || 61 || loke tritrikramollāsivastupūr vasthitir yataḥ | tripureti tataḥ proktā brahmādı̄nāṃ parās ́rayā || 62 || mahimnas te leśaṃ hariharabhavādyā api paraṃ na vaktuṃ jñātuṃ vā prabhava iha devādiguravaḥ | tathā bhūtā devı̄ ka iha bhuvaneṣu stutipathaṃ samı̄hed āroḍhuṃ tava caraṇasevāvirahitaḥ || 63 || padāmbhojabhaktis tava bhavati cintāmaṇigaṇo na taccitraṃ devi prabhavati samı̄hādhikaphalam | atas tvatpadābjapraṇihitasamastendriyavatāṃ phalaṃ na prāpyaṃ kiṃ vada paraśive sundari pare || 64 || tvam evādau sr̥sṭ ẹ ḥ sahajasukhapı̄yūsạ jaladhir nitāntaṃ viśrāntā vapuṣi vimale niścalatare | na khaṃ vāyus tejaḥ salilam api bhumir ghaṭapaṭau na ca jñānājñāne vacanaviṣayo vā sthitam abhūt || 65 || tvam evaikā seyaṃ niravadhimahās ́aktibharitā sthitā saṃvidrūpā sakalajagatām ādisamaye | jaganmālājālāṅkuragaṇasubı̄jaikavapuṣā parānandākārā paramaśiva­ jı̄vasthitikarı̄ || 66 || tataḥ saṃvidrūpā tava sakalam etad vilasitaṃ vibhātaṃ sadrūpaṃ taditaravapuś cāpi sahasā | yathāmbhodhau bhaṅgāḥ ghaṭakalaśakuṇdạ ̄ iva mr̥di prabhā bhānor yadvat kanakaśakalaṃ bhūsạ ṇagaṇāḥ || 67 || atas tvadrūpān no pr̥thag iha bhavet kiñcid api vā sadā sarvātmatvād vilasasi mahākās ́avapuṣā | tathābhūtāyās te parimitakarāṅghryādivapuṣā vilāso bhakteṣu prabhavati kr̥pāyantraṇavaśāt || 68 || tavāpy etad rūpaṃ śivagurupadāmbhojavilasat subhaktipronmı̄lad vimalanayanānāṃ vidhivaśāt | kadācit keṣāñcid bhavati purato bhāgyavaśataḥ paraṃ yat tad rūpaṃ katham iha bhaved amba sulabham || 69 || namaste bālāmba tripuraharasubhāgyanilaye namaste bhaktehāsamadhikapha­ lotpādacature | namaste dainyādripravidalanavajrāyitakrpe namaste mohāmbhonidhikavala­ ˚ nāgastyacaraṇe || 70 || 844 See Ibidem, 91a: itihāsaṃ tantrasāram. 845 TR, mk, 2, 25c–33: yā sarvajagatāṃ hetur yayā sarvam idaṃ tatam || 25cd || yasyām atyeti sarvaṃ sā tripurā sarvato’dhikā | yayā virahitaṃ sarvaṃ

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vandhyātmajasamaṃ bhavet || 26 || yasyāḥ prasādaleśena sarvaṃ svātmani saṃsthitaṃ | pratyaṇukṣaṇabhāgeṣu yā pūrṇā tripurā hi sā || 27 || yā vicitratanuprānạ karaṇāni pratikṣaṇam | bhuvanāni prabhinnāni svātmanā cchādayaty ajā || 28 || yasyāḥ paryantamadhyādibhāgaṃ nāhaṃ harir haraḥ | jānı̄mo vayam etasyās ́ caraṇāmbujareṇavaḥ || 29 || sr̥sṭ ị ḥ sthitiḥ saṃhr̥tiś ca tirodhānam anugrahaḥ | kriyate sarvadāsmāsu sthitayā parayā yayā || 30 || sā sarvadevı̄ sarveśı ̄ sarvakāraṇakāraṇam | tripurā sundarı̄ proktā svatantrā cidvilāsinı̄ || 31 || anekarūpā sā śaktir jātā bhaktakr̥pāvaśāt | sarvaśreṣtḥ ā sarvamātā tripurā vāksamās ́rayā || 32 || tanmūrtiḥ sarvatotkr̥sṭ ạ ̄ tatsiddhāntaḥ paro mataḥ | saiva sarveśvarı̄ sarvapūjyā śr̥nụ munı̄s ́vara || 33 ||. 846 See vv. 34–37. 847 TR, mk, 3, 5–9: itihāsaṃ bhāgavataṃ tantrasāram akhaṇḍitam | vairāgyabha­­ktimāhātmyakriyājñānasamanvitam || 5 || nānākhyānakathācitraṃ tripurāyā rahasyakam | paṭhatāṃ pāpaśamanaṃ śruṇvatāṃ kleśanās ́anam || 6 || vicāritaṃ svātmalābhajananaṃ mokṣasādhanam | pūjitaṃ tripurābhaktikaraṃ dr̥sṭ ạ ṃ śubhodayam || 7 || vidyāpradaṃ sulikhitaṃ sevitaṃ vāñchitārthadam | yatra śrı̄tripurādevyāḥ kathāvibhavakı̄rtanam || 8 || jñānavairāgyabhaktyādḥ yaṃ nāradādyaiḥ śrutaṃ ca yat | tatra kiṃ durlabhataraṃ cintāmaṇir iva sthitam || 9 ||. 848 It is beyond the scope of this study and this synopsis to provide a survey of the sources, Purāṇic, Epic etc., containing diverse versions of the mythic episodes re-narrated in the mk. Therefore only some general references drawn from both primary sources and secondary literature will be given here. For general information about Paraśurāma, see Introduction. This episode is narrated, for instance, in Mahābhārata (MBh), Sā́ ntiparvan, 49–50 [see Sukthankar, Belvalkar (eds.) 1949: 209–224]. 849 This episode is narrated, for instance, in Rāmāyaṇa (RĀ ), I, 75–76. 850 TR, mk, 4, 13c–16: evaṃ cintayatā tena mārge kaścana pūruṣaḥ || 13cd || dr̥sṭ ạ s tejorāsí mayo jvalad agnigirir yathā | puṣtạ sundarasarvāṅgaḥ phullapaṅkajalocanaḥ || 14 || malināṅgo muktakeśa unmattacarito’pi yaḥ | mahāpuruṣavad dr̥sṭ ọ mahātmā munirāt ̣ kaviḥ || 15 || dr̥sṭ ṿ aivaṃ bhārgavo vipraṃ tyaktaliṅgāsramādikam | digambaraṃ paṅkadigdhaṃ gandhasindhuravat sthitam || 16 ||. 851 Ibidem, 29–33: tvam ity avagate praśnaḥ piṣtạ peṣaṇavad vr̥thā | tvayā nāvagataś cet tvam iti vāk syān nirarthikā || 29 || kenacid vapuṣā jñāta iti cet tad vadasva me | na jñātas te cidātmā tadajñeyatvāt tathāvidhaḥ || 30 || annañ cedaṃ tvayā dr̥sṭ ạ ṃ sākṣād eva na saṃsá yaḥ | tasmāt paryanuyogas te saṃjñāyāṃ suvyavasthitaḥ || 31 || jñātaṃ kāraṇam apy evaṃ tasmāt saṃjñaiva na tvayā | jñātā sā na svataḥ siddhā kalpitā bahudhāpi sā || 32 || na saṃsthitā sāpy ekatra saṅghātasyāsŕ ayatvataḥ | tasmād ahaṃ tvayā rāma samyak pr̥sṭ ọ vadāmi te || 33 ||. 852 This discourse of Saṃvarta (vv. 51–58) is quoted, translated and discussed in Part II, Chapter 4. 853 TR, mk, 6, 1–10: taṃ dadarśa mahātmānaṃ tejorāsí m anuttamam | tamālakoma­ ladalanı̄lanālatanucchavim || 1 || phullarājı̄vanayanaṃ rākendupratimānanam | navavidrumasāmantadantacchadavirājitam || 2 || mandasmitātisaundaryyapra­ bhāpūrṇadigantaram | prauḍhamuktāpaṅktiśobhāparı̄bhāvidvijāvalim || 3 || pūr­nạ gaṇdạ b̄ hogarājannāsāvaṃs ́alasanmukham | kambugrı̄vaṃ dı̄rghabāhudvaya­ śobhāvirājitam || 4 || navaprabālalālityayutapānị talāñcitam | viśālapr̥thuloraskaṃ tanutribalikodaram || 5 || *karināsorusubhaṅgaṃ (em. Rao: karināsorusubhagaṃ) *tūnı̣ s̄ odarajādhikam (em. Rao: tūnı̣ s̄ odarajānġ hikam) | *paṅkeruhātisubhaṅga (em. Rao: paṅkeruhātisubhagaṃ) pādapaṅkeruhānvitam || 6 || saundaryakandam amalaṃ tāruṇyaśrı̄niṣevitam | darśanād eva nārı̄nạ m ̄ ̣ koṭimanmathadı̄panam || 7 || evaṃ bhūtaṃ samālokya striyā lakṣmı̄samānayā | kayācid atitāruṇyalāvaṇyalasad­ aṅgayā || 8 || madirāmadasaṃ raktaghūrṇanetrāmbujā tayā | āliṅgitapurobhāganya-­

262  Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya







stamaireyakumbhakam || 9 || yativeṣadharaṃ miśraliṅginaṃ śaṅkito’bhavat | kim etad adbhutaṃ vr̥ttaṃ muner asya mahātmanaḥ || 10 ||. 854 Ibidem, 66c–73b: sarveṣāṃ prānị nām ātmā sākṣād eva paraḥ śivaḥ || 66cd || svamāyāvaibhavavaśāt svātmānam avidan param | saṅkoce sarvaśaktı̄nāṃ svayaṃ saṅkucitas tataḥ || 67 || naitāvad iha satyaṃ syād bhāti riktam api kvacit | tathā tathā bhāsanāt tu vinā kiñcin na vidyate || 68 || bhāsanaṃ bhānam eveha *nābhānād (em. Rao na bhānād) bhāsanaṃ pr̥thak | bhānaśaktir bhāsanaṃ hi bhānātmā paramaḥ śivaḥ || 69 || sa evātyacchayā śaktyā svayam ekaḥ sanātanaḥ | bhāsate vividhākāro vicitratvena sarvataḥ || 70 || sa evātmā tu sarveṣāṃ lokānāṃ nityasatprabhaḥ | abhāta iva bhāto’pi sadā mohena manyate || 71 || tasmāt tatpratyabhijñānān mohanāsé sati drutam | antarbahiḥ sarvataś ca gaṅgāntardvı̄pago yathā || 72 || śı ̄talaṃ bhāvam abhyeti nānyathā yatnakoṭibhiḥ | 73ab. 855 See TR, mk, 7, 7ab: vedāḥ sá s̄ trānị tantrānị vaktuṃ na prabhavanti vai | 7ab. See also BāPur, 3, 39, 27: “Repeated obeisance to that Goddess, who is beyond the perception of the Āgamas, Vedas, Sā́ stras and Yogins, who is self-perceptible alone.” nāgamaiś ca na vedais ́ ca na sá s̄ trair na ca yogibhiḥ | vedyā yā ca svasaṃ vedyā tasyai devyai namo namaḥ (Eng. trans. by Sanderson, quoted in Sanderson 2017: 16, note 25). 856 This eulogy is found in vv. 5–12. 857 Hari Nārāyaṇa is the sattvic embodiment of Tripurā (see TR, mk, 7, 14cd: ādinārāyaṇaḥ sākṣat̄ tasyāḥ sattvatanur hariḥ). 858 Śiva is the tamasic form of the supreme Śakti Tripurā (see Ibidem, 63cd: tamomūrtiḥ parās ́aktes tripurāyā maheśvaraḥ). 859 This hymn is recited by Brahmā. 860 On the semantic richness of the term vilāsa – conveying the idea of play, as well as luminous appearance, manifestation, and also wantonness – see Padoux (ed.) 1994: 162, note 268. 861 The verses 3–5 recall the following stanza of the SL: Dhāt (Brahmā) creates the world, Hari preserves it, Rudra destroys it. Nullifying this [triad], Iś̄ a [into whom the triad has merged] conceals even his own form [in Sadāsí va], and Śiva as Sadāpūrva (the primeval) approves this entire process, having caught the command of your creeper-like eyebrows as they flickered for a moment.

SL, 24: jagat sūte dhātā harir avati rudraḥ kṣapayate tiraskurvann etat svam api vapur ı̄sá s tirayati | sadāpūr vaḥ sarvaṃ tad idam anugr̥hṇāti ca śivas tavājñām ālambya kṣaṇacalitayor bhrūlatikayoḥ || 24 || [Eng. trans. in Brown (ed.) 1958: 56]. In their commentary, S. S. Sastri and T. R. S. Ayyangar explain that this stanza outlines the process of evolution and involution of the universe, portending the renewed manifestation of the worlds. The stage of evolution is represented by the works of Brahmā and Viṣṇu, fulfilling the functions of creation and maintenance, respectively. The stage of involution begins with the destruction of the world by Rudra and culminates in the reabsorption of the universe and of the three gods by Iś̄ vara, who eventually is also dissolved. Finally Sadāsí va, who is the eternal and changeless witness of the entire process, and whose passive attitude implies his approval of it, reabsorbs everything into himself, including Iś̄ vara. Then, obeying a hint from the eyebrows of the Goddess, he sets about the work of re-manifestation of the universe. Thus the supremacy of the Goddess, who nevertheless acts through the five great gods, is claimed [see S. S. Sastri, T. R. S Ayyangar (eds.) 1977: 101–102]. 862 Vāmā, Jyeṣth ̣ ā and Raudrı̄, forming a triad of divinized energies of Śiva, are found in several Tantric texts (see the entry Jyeṣth ̣ ā in TAK II 2004: 287–288;

Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya  263 see also Padoux 1990: 117, note 95). In the NṢA, Vāmā, Jyeṣth ̣ ā and Raudrı̄ are associated with Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Iś̄ a (Rudra) and with their respective cosmic functions; these goddesses are specifically characterized by the energies of knowledge, action and will, respectively (See NṢA, 4, 9c–11, quoted above, note 842). The YH adds to the triad Ambikā and associates the four goddesses with the four levels of the Word. Accordingly, Ambikā, endowed with the highest form of energy, corresponds to the Supreme Word. Since there arises in Ambikā the wish to create, to manifest the universe, Vāmā is she who “vomits”, emanates the universe which was inside herself; she is the energy of will and abides in the Visionary Word. Then Jyeṣth ̣ ā, as energy of knowledge, maintains the universe, and abides in the Intermediate Word. At the stage of the cosmic reabsorption, Raudrı̄, the destroyer, is the energy of action and corresponds to the Corporeal Word. The text reads: When this supreme kalā sees the flashing forth of the Self, assuming the aspect of Ambikā, the supreme Word is being uttered. [36] When she turns toward [creation] so as to manifest the universe which is held [within her] as a seed, taking on the form of a hook, [she becomes] Vāmā because she vomits the universe. [37] Then, being the energy of will, this very [goddess] embodies herself as the visionary [word]. Then, as energy of knowledge, she is Jyeṣth ̣ ā, and the intermediate word is being enunciated. [38] With the conservation of the universe, her form spreads out as a straight line. Then, on the level of reabsorption, she takes on the form of bindu. [39] When the reverse process takes place, she flashes forth in a body [shaped like] a śṇgātạ . She is then energy of action. She is Raudrı̄, the corporeal [word], appearing as the universe. [40] YH, 1, 36–40: ātmanaḥ sphuraṇaṃ paśyed yadā sā paramā kalā | ambikārūpam āpannā parā vāk samudı̄ritā || 36 || bı̄jabhāvasthitaṃ viśvaṃ sphuṭı ̄kartuṃ yadonmukhı̄ | vāmā viśvasya vamanād aṅkuśākāratāṃ gatā || 37 || icchāsá ktis tadā seyaṃ paśyantı̄vapuṣā sthitā | jñānaśaktis tathā jyeṣtḥ ā madhyamā vāg udı̄ritā || 38 || r̥jurekhāmayı̄ viśvasthitau prathitavigrahā | tatsaṃ hr̥tidaśāyāṃ tu baindavaṃ rūpam āsthitā || 39 || pratyāvr̥ttikrameṇaivaṃ sr̥ṅgātạ vapur ujjvalā | kriyās ́aktis tu raudrı̄yaṃ vaikharı̄ viśvavigrahā || 40 || [Eng. trans. in Padoux with Jeanty (ed.) 2013: 37–38; see also YH, 1, 36–40 and Amtānanda’s commentary in Padoux (ed.) 1994: 136–138]. In this verse of the TR, the three goddesses are associated with the gods of the trimūrti, as they are also in the NṢA, while Ambikā is added to the triad, as is the case in the YH. However, the identity of the fourth one, to whom she ought to be related is not clear because in the present context there are five gods, the last two being Iśa and Sadāsí va. It is therefore possible that the text alludes to another set of correspondences, namely, the one between goddesses and states of consciousness (avasthā); in this case the triad of Vāmā, Jyeṣth ̣ ā and Raudrı̄ would be associated with the states of waking, dream and deep sleep, and Ambikā would be related to the fourth state (turı̄ya). 863 This verse conveys the idea that when the Goddess withdraws her creative energy into herself, the gods are deprived of the vivifying force of the Śakti and are unable to act, becoming passive and inert like corpses. This important, relatively widespread concept is found, for instance, in JaT, 4, 12–27, where it is said that when the five gods Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Rudra, Iś̄ vara and Sadāsí va are deprived of their respective śaktis, beginning with Vāmā, Jyeṣth ̣ ā and Raudrı̄, they are like corpses (see JaT 1952: 12–13). In iconography there are images representing Tripurā seated on a throne

264  Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya







or lying on a couch formed by the corpses of the five gods. See also epithets 249 “Seated on a throne [made up] of five corpses” (LSN, 2, 61a: pañcapretāsanāsı ̄nā) and 947 “Lying on a couch [made up] of five corpses” (LSN, 2, 174d: pañcapretamañcādhiśāyinı ̄). In his commentary on the former, Bhāskararāya quotes the JaT as a source, and in his explanation of the latter, he states that the corpses of Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Rudra and Iś̄ vara form the legs of the couch and Sadāsí va forms the bench where Tripurasundarı̄ rests [see Paṇsı́ k̄ ar (ed.) 1935: 74, 190, and R. A. Sastry (ed.) 1976: 132, 361]. 864 This is another explanation of the name of Tripurā, besides that given above (see TR, mk, 1, 62 and note 842). 865 TR, mk, 8, 2–9: jaya jaya mātar jagatāṃ jaya jaya sarvādhike maheśāni | jaya jaya bhaktārttihare jaya jaya sarvāntarasthacidrūpe || 2 || jagatāṃ janimukharacanā yadbhrūlı̄lāvilāsataḥ kurmaḥ | vidhihari­ rudreśādyā vayaṃ maheśı̄ṃ namāmi tāṃ devı̄m || 3 || sraṣtạ ̄smy ahaṃ murāriḥ pālayitā caiṣa nāsá ko rudraḥ | ı̄s ́as tirodhimūlaṃ sarvaṃ tvacchaktileśataḥ siddham || 4 || sarvānugrahamūlaṃ sadāsí vo’py eṣa tāvakapādābjam | saṃs ́rityaiva prabhavati tasmāt tvaṃ sarvasevanı̄yāsi || 5 || vāmājyeṣtḥ āraudrı̄rūpeṇāsmān sthitāsi saṃsthāpya | yarhi vayaṃ tarhi tathā bhūtā turyaṃ tathāmbikāvapusā || 6 || saṃhr̥tya tāvad ākās ́aṃ svasthāne saṃsthitāsi yadi janani | tarhi vayaṃ prathitākhyāḥ pañcamahāpretasamjñayā jagati || 7 || akhilāpatsamayeṣv apy asmākaṃ tvaṃ vicitratanuvibhavā | rakṣāparā yathā sve janayitrı̄ dārake jaganmātaḥ || 8 || lokānāṃ sakalānāṃ tvadguṇajātā vayaṃ trayas tv ādyāḥ | asmabhyam api tribhyaḥ purā sthites tvaṃ prakı̄rttitā tripurā || 9 ||. 866 This hymn is recited by Viṣṇu. 867 TR, mk, 8, 12–19: śr ı̄ mātar vayam iha te guṇaprabhūtās tvacchāstiṃ satatam atı̄va jāgarūkāḥ | kurmas taj janani padāmbujaikabhaktiṃ vāñchāmo bhavatu tad eva sarvadā naḥ || 12 || deveśi tvayi sati sarvabhāvavargas tattadrūpaguṇaprabhedabhinnagātraḥ | nānās ́aktivibhavaśobhito vibhāno noced devi kim api naiva bhāvitaḥ syāt || 13 || bhūrāpo’nalacarakhāni jaṅgamāni bhūtāni sthiravibhavāni cāpi mātā | dikkālau sadasad apı̄ha sarvam etat tvadrūpaṃ na bhavati leśatas tvadanyat || 14 || lokeṣu prathitamahāprabhāvayuktā brahmādyā vayam iha lokanāthanāthāḥ | tvatpı̄tḥ aprapadaniketanā hi jātāḥ sevātas tava padapadmayor namaste || 15 || rūpaṃ te paramam atı̄ndriyaṃ śrutı̄nāṃ mūrdhāno’py aticakitā vadanti naiva | tvanmāyāvibhavaparākr̥tāntaraṅgā ye te tvāṃ katham iha tāddr̥sı́ m ̄ ̣ vidanti || 16 || bhūyas tvatpadasarası̄ruhaikasevānyagbhūtākhilamaladoṣasaṅghayuktaḥ | śrı̄nāt­hā­mrtavacasā suśuddhacitto vetti tvāṃ paramaśivātma*rupiṇım ̄ ̣ (em. rūpiṇım ̄ )̣ saḥ || 17 ˚|| sarvajño’pyajanita vāṅmayo hi vedas tvadrūpaṃ vadati guṇaprabhedabhāsam | tasmāt tvaṃ parakr̥payā vibharṣi caitattejoghātmakavapuretad asmadartham || 18 || rūpañ caitad api mahāprakāsá mātraṃ tvatsevāvibhavata eva lakṣitaṃ naḥ | devendrādyakhilasuraughadoṣaṃ śāntyai mātas te bhavatu samı̄hit­asvarūpam || 19 ||. 868 This hymn is recited by Śiva. 869 The text alludes to certain mythic and iconographic features of these goddesses. Sarasvatı̄ is said to be born from the mouth of Brahmā (see, for instance, Brahmavaivartapurānạ (BVPur): “Later on from the mouth of the

Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya  265 Supreme Being [Brahmā] sprang a goddess very fair in complexion, holding in her hand a lute and a book.” BVPur, Brahmā Khaṇdạ , 3, 54: āvirbabhūva tatpaścān mukhataḥ paramātmanaḥ | ekā devı ̄ śuklavarṇa ̄ vı ̄ṇap̄ ustakadhāriṇı ̄ || 54 || [Eng. trans. in Sen (ed.) 1974: 8]. As T. A. G. Rao remarks: “Lakṣmı̄ is conceived to be treasured by her lord on the right side of his broad chest” (Rao 1971, Vol. I, Part II: 373). As for Pārvatı̄, the text refers to the wellknown image of the ardhanarı ̄śvara, consisting of a composite figure in which ́ the right half of the divine body. Pārvatı̄ occupies the left half and Siva 870 TR, mk, 8, 22–29: namāmi parameśvari tvam iha sarvadevottamair vidhātr̥hariśaṅkaraiḥ parama*pūruṣaiḥ (em. puruṣaiḥ) pūjitā | atas tvadadhikaḥ kathaṃ bhavati ko’pi devābhidhas tvam eva sakalottamā bhavasi rājarājeśvarı̄ || 22 || dhig astu manujābhidhān narapaśūn vimūdḥ ān hi tān vihāya parameśvarı̄ṃ paraśivāṃ samastottamām | mudhā hi vibudhādhipān paricaranti ye kāmino vihāya suraśākhinaṃ mr̥takarı̄ravr̥kṣās ́rayān || 23 || jagajjanani tāvake caraṇapaṅkaje me sadā sthirı̄bhavatu mānasaṃ viṣayavāsanānirgatam | tadı̄yaparisevane satatam astu pānị dvayaṃ vaco bhavatu kı̄rttane guṇagaṇāmr̥tābdheḥ śive || 24 || vidhātr̥hariśaṅkarapriyatamāḥ satı̄ḥ śāradāramāgirisutābhidhās tava kalāḥ sumukhyā vayam | mukhe hr̥di nijārdhake vapuṣi dhārayantaḥ sadā jagadvisr̥tidhāraṇapralayakar­ masu prodyatāḥ || 25 || tvam eva visr̥ti vidhau sthitir ahı̄s ́aparyaṅkake mayi pralayanaṃ śive guṇavilāpanā ceśake | anugrahakr̥tiḥ śive paratare parabrahmani sthitā paraśivātmanā sahajacitprakāsá ̄tmikā || 26 || bhuvaḥ kaṭhinatā yathā rasa ivāpsu rūpaṃ śucer yathā ca maruto gatir bhavati śūnyatā khe yathā | yathā bhavati coṣmatā dinakr̥tas tathā tvaṃ śive śivādivasudhāntake paraśive ca sārātmikā || 27 || budhādhipamukhāmarās tava mahāmaheśyāḥ paraprabhāvaparimohitāḥ paribhavanti cānyonyataḥ | samuddhara tavārbhakān janani dānavārı̄n śive vibhāvayatkathāmr̥tāplutaka­ ṭākṣaleśaiḥ sakr̥t || 28 || jagajjanani satataṃ viṣayadāvasantāpitāñ janān karuṇayā dr̥sá ̄mr̥tārasaugha­ niḥsỵ andayā | vibhāvaya parātpare sakalatāpasaṃhāriṇı ̄ tvam eva jagadās ́rayā satatam astu tubhyaṃ namaḥ || 29 || 871 Ibidem, 32–45: taptakāñcanavarṇāṅgı̄ divyābharaṇabhūsị tā | aṣtạ ̄daśabhūjā kanyārūpiṇı ̄ susmitānanā || 32 || mañjı̄ranūpurārāvajhaṇajjhaṇitadiktaṭā | talapādaprabhākṣiptanavavidrumapallavā || 33 || sumandapeśalagatisatı̄rthı̄­ kr̥tahaṃsikā | kausumbhāmbarasaṃrājatkaṭı ̄taṭavirājitā || 34 || gambhı̄rāvar­ tasadr̥ sá nābhihradavirājitā | raktakauśeyottarı̄yasaṃsó bhitabhujāntarā || 35 || dhanuḥ pāsá m tathā ghaṇt ̣āṃ ḍamaruṃ ratnapātrakam | kheṭakaṃ japamālāñ ca paṅkajaṃ pustakaṃ tathā || 36 || cinmudrāṃ śaṅkhacakrau ca khadgaṃ śūlaṃ paraśvadham | gadāṃ sr̥ṇiṃ śarān hastair bibhrāṇā pallavāruṇaiḥ || 37 || hemapadmasrajaṃ kaṇtḥ e ratnakeyūraśobhitā | ratnānġ ulı̄yasaṃrāj­ adaṅgulı̄kora­kojjvalā || 38 || navaratnalasadgraiveyakaśobhitakandharā | maṇimānġ alyaśobhāḍhyā śrı̄candanasurūs ̣itā || 39 || candrasūr yasamānā*bha (em.bhā)tāt ̣aṅkayugalojjv­alā­ | pakvabimbaphalacchāyādantacchadavirājitā || 40 ||nāsābharaṇamānị kyadviguṇar̄ uṇadr̥ kchadā | padma*patra(em.pattra)nibhatrya­kṣalı̄lāhūtamr̥ gı̄gaṇā || 41 || kastūrı̄tilakākhyātamukhapūrṇendulāñchanā | mukhāmbujamilindaughasama­n ̄ aci-

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kurāvaliḥ || 42 || mr̥ dudı̄rghaghanaśyāmakeśam ̄ odasumedurā | anardhyamaṇikoṭır̄ a­ prabhāpūrṇadyumaṇḍalā || 43 || phālaśobhiniśan ̄ āthakalikottaṃsamaṇḍitā | sadā kumārikā devı̄ parabrahmasvarūpiṇı ̄ || 44 || ı̄dr̥ sı́ ̄ sā parāsá ktis tripurā lokasunda­ ram | lı̄lārthaṃ sandhr̥tavatı̄ rūpaṃ paramapāvanam || 45 ||. 872 The idea that the great gods of the trimūrti can perform their respective cosmic functions thanks only to their devotion to the Goddess is thoroughly elaborated in the DBhPur and expressed in the stotras dedicated by these gods to the Goddess, on the occasion of their journey to her abode in the Island of Jewels. See particularly the stotra uttered by Śiva in DBhPur, III, 5, vv. 4, 6–8, 10 (Eng. trans. in Vijnanananda (ed.) 1977: 131–132), and that uttered by Brahmā in Ibidem, 27–38 (Eng. trans. in Ibidem: 133–134). At other points of the mk, the same idea is applied and extended to the five great gods and their respective functions (see above TR, mk, 2, 30; Ibidem, 8, 3–5 and 26; and below Ibidem, 59, 87d–89). 873 Kalā is a technical term which has different meanings in the various Tantric texts and traditions (see the relevant entry in TAK II 2004: 68–73). In this context it seems to refer to the supreme divine Energy of Tripurā, the power of the supreme Consciousness (see Ibidem: 72. 8), with which the Goddess is identified, and which is mentioned in the successive verse. 874 The text refers to the system of the six pathways (here ṣaḍvidhamārga, better known as ṣaḍadhvan). This topic is discussed in Part II, Chapter 3. 875 TR, mk, 9, 33–44: jaya jaya śaṅkari jagadabhayaṅkari vidhimukhakiṅkari vedanute | duṣtạ bhayaṅkari śiṣtạ śubhaṅkari sakalavaśaṅkari pāhi surān || 33 || jagatāṃ jananasthitiharaṇādiṣu vidhihariśaṅkaravibudheśāḥ | tava padapaṅkajasevāsāditakaruṇāleśāḥ prabhavanti || 34 || yadi tava karuṇāleśavihı̄no vibudhagaṇeśo’py atimūdḥ aḥ | nedaṃ citraṃ tvadvimukho’pi hi na kvacid ı̄s ́aḥ parameśaḥ || 35 || vidhiharimukhyā api tava lı̄lāṃ na prabhavaḥ syur varṇayitum | tatra kathaṃ mama śaktiḥ stotre tava mahimābdher vada mātaḥ || 36 || vācaḥ prāñcas tava niśvasitaṃ vidhiharimukhyā guṇajātāḥ | lı̄lājanitaṃ sakalaṃ tat te na vidanti avarās tvām ambām || 37 || sakalacarācaravapur ādyā tvaṃ svaśritalokālokagaṇā | nānyat kiñcit tava śaraṇaṃ svaṃ vibhavaṃ śritvā nanu bhāsi || 38 || tantubhir otaḥ proto yadvat paṭa iha hemnā kaṭakādyam | akhilañcotaṃ protaṃ tadvat kalayā tripure paramaparam || 39 || varṇādyā api ṣaḍvidhamārgāḥ kālādyā api navasaṅghāḥ | sthairyādyā api pañcakalā nanu cicchaktes tvan nāsty anyat || 40 || sarvasyādau paracitivapuṣā vilasasi caikā śivarūpā | draṣṭā śrotā vaktā nānyas tat tvāṃ stotuṃ kaḥ śaktaḥ || 41 || dinamaṇibimbāt kiraṇagaṇā iva tasyās tvattaḥ sakalam abhūt | tasmāt tvatto nānyat kiñcana dr̥s ́yādr̥s ́yaṃ jagadakhilam || 42 || deveśi tvaddurghaṭaśaktyācchāditanetrās tvadrūpam | jānı̄yus te katham iha vibudhāḥ pālaya sarvān surasaṅghān || 43 || eṣa mahendras tava pada*saṃvidhe (em. savidhe) stabdhatanus tvāṃ na vijānan | ı̄s ̣ad dr̥sṭ ̣yā karuṇārasayā pāhi śatakratum amareśam || 44 || 876 TR, mk, 9, 51–66: namaste tripure mātar namaḥ paraśivās ́raye | namaḥ kāraṇasatyākhyaparānan­ dasudhātmike || 51 || tvaṃ hi kāraṇarūpāsi sadasadvastusantateḥ | tvattaḥ sakalam utpannaṃ tvayi sarvaṃ pratiṣṭhitam || 52 || tvayi pralı̄yamānañ ca tvaṃ satyaṃ sarvavastuṣu | mr̥ttikeva ghaṭādı̄nāṃ bhūs ̣anānāñ ca kāñcanam || 53 ||

Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya  267







nānyat tvatto leśato’pi jagad etad bhavet kvacit | jalaṃ vinā śaityam iva prakāsó ’gner iva kvacit || 54 || dyumaṇeḥ śaktayo yadvat kiraṇāḥ saṃsthitās tathā | tvattaḥ sakalavastūni vibhānti parameśvari || 55 || vidhau harau śive tadvad anyasmin devatābhidhe | yat sāram asti tat sarvaṃ tava śakter vijr̥mbhitam || 56 || nāmākr̥tikriyāhı̄nā saṃvinmātraikarūpiṇı̄ | anugrahāya lokānāṃ rūpaṃ nāma kriyāpi te || 57 || tasmād ananyaḥ satataṃ puruṣārthecchur anvaham | tvām eva bhaktyā seveta śritacintāmaṇiṃ śive || 58 || tvayi prasanne kim ihāsty alabhyaṃ tvayy aprasanne kim ihāsti labhyam | vihāya sevāṃ jagadı̄s ́aśakte vr̥thaiva cānyatra ratā vimūdḥ āḥ || 59 || miteśvareṇāpi hi samprabaddhā vinā tadārādhanato na muktāḥ | maheśaśaktyā dr̥ḍhasamprabaddhās tadaprasādāt katham astu muktiḥ || 60 || anādiśaktyā tava māyayā vai baddhā janās ́ cirakālād vimūdḥ āḥ | hitvātmaśaktiṃ paradevatāṃ tvāṃ daivābhidhān bhinnarūpān namanti || 61 || tvam eva sarvādyatayā parātparā tvatto jātā devatākhyāḥ kathaṃ syuḥ | yadvadd hemno’nyo na bhūs ̣āgaṇaḥ syād ākhyās ́eṣās tadvad ı̄s ́ādidevāḥ || 62 || ı̄s ́ādyeṣv apy antatas tv ı̄s ́varatvaṃ sarveśyās te’nugrahasya iva leśaḥ | tadvyāmoho jāhnavı̄m atisaṃsthāṃ hitvā kulyānveṣakā dāvadagdhāḥ || 63 || sattvaṃ mūdḥ aṃ mr̥take dehakākhye sarveśatvādyabhimānena yuktam | mātar bhūyas tv aghakr̥tyaṃ durı̄haṃ tvatto’nyā kā rakṣitaṃ māṃ samarthā || 64 || sā tvaṃ viśvaprasavitrı̄ parāmbā sarvaṃ me’ghaṃ kṣantum evārhası̄ti | na prārthyā sve totake mātur eṣā kṣāntir yasmāt sahajā suprasiddhā || 65 || yo’haṃ te’gre stabdhakāyo’bhavaṃ vai naitad roṣad̄ api te’nugrahaḥ syāt | roṣe sarvaṃ bhasmaśeṣaṃ samı̄yān mātus toke tarjanaivāti duṣtẹ || 66 || 877 See also epithet 548 in the LSN: “Characterized by reflective awareness” (LSN, 2, 112a: vimarśarūpiṇı ̄). 878 The text refers again to the system of the ṣaḍadhvan, see above, TR, mk, 9, 40. 879 TR, mk, 9, 87–95b: iyan tu paramā śaktir yā samastavibhāvanā | sā śaktiḥ parameśasya vimarśākhyā mahattarā || 87 || mahākāsá ̄tmikā yasyāṃ jagad etad virājate | seyaṃ draṣtṛ ātmanā bhūtvā jagad vyāpya vyavasthitā || 88 || dr̥s ́yate yaj jagad idam iti tadrūpam ucyate | dr̥s ́yan tu dvividhaṃ proktaṃ kāladeśavibhedataḥ || 89 || kālaḥ kriyāmayo *rayo (em. ravo) deśo mūrtimayaḥ smr̥taḥ | varṇaḥ padaṃ tathā mantra iti kālas tridhā sthitaḥ || 90 || kalā tattvaś ca bhuvanam iti deśo’pi vai tridhā | ṣaḍadhvanāmnā caitat tu proktaṃ ṣaṭsaṅgharūpataḥ || 91 || svakāraṇātmakaṃ kār yaṃ taror bı̄jātmatā yathā | tena varṇādayaḥ kālaḥ kalādir deśa ucyate || 92 || draṣtụ s taddvayanirbhānād draṣtṛ ātmakam udı̄titam | tasmād akhilam etad vai draṣtṛ ̥rūpam udı̄ritam || 93 || taṃ draṣtạ ̄raṃ svātmarūpaṃ citiśaktisvarūpiṇam | dr̥s ́yadehādito bhinnaṃ matvā tāṃ jñātum arhasi || 94 || idaṃ saṅgrahataḥ proktam ātmaśaktyavabodhanam | 95ab. 880 See TR, mk, 10, 14c–16b: ādyā kumārı̄ tatroktā trirūpānantarā matā || 14cd || gaurı̄ ramā bhāratı̄ti tataḥ kālı̄ ca caṇdị kā | durgā bhagavatı̄ paścāt proktā kātyāyanı̄ parā || 15 || lalitā śrı̄mahārājñı̄ tatra pūrṇatamā matā || 16ab ||. 881 See the hymns in praise of Tripurā contained in Chapters 8–9. 882 It should be noted that in this recapitulation of the Sāṃkhya’s model of evolution of the subtle elements (tanmātra) and gross elements (mhābhūta), the subtle element of sound (s ́abda-tanmātra) is not mentioned. 883 This story (found in vv. 49–61) is about a weaver of mats who was eager to obtain knowledge of the Self, but was not qualified to understand it; therefore, after having listened to the relevant teaching from a brāhman, he misunderstood it completely and encountered his own ruin. 884 The passage describing this composite form of Tripurā (vv. 111c–114b) is quoted, translated and commented in Part I, Chapter 2.

268  Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya 885 See also epithet 244 in the LTS: “The very channel through which the life of Kāmeśvara flows” (kāmeśvaraprānạ nāḍ ı ̄, Eng. trans in Sanderson 2017: 31). Sanderson explains that “here Lalitā is equated with the central channel (suśumnā) and, by transference, with Kuṇdạ linı̄ within it” (Ibidem: 31, note 66). 886 In Tantric cosmography Kālāgni, also called Kālāgnirudra, is the lord of the lowest of the nether worlds, still belonging to the egg of Brahmā (brahmānḍ ạ ), i.e. the cosmos; he is the fire of time, responsible for the periodic destruction of the worlds (see the relevant entry in TAK II 2004: 101–102). 887 For the occurrences of this image, see the entry unmeṣa in TAK I 2000: 236–237; its meaning is discussed in Part II, Chapter 1. 888 TR, mk, 10, 116–121: namāmas tvāṃ devı̄ṃ śritajanasamı̄hādhikaphalapradānāṃ lokeśı̄m agaṇitamahāvaibhavayutām | svalı̄lāmātrār thaprakaṭitavidhātraṇḍavitatiṃ parabrahmākārāṃ paramaśivajı̄vākhyadhamanı̄m || 116 || vihāya tvāṃ devı̄ṃ kṣitimukhaśivāntātmakagaṇe prameye kālāgnipramukhaśi­ vaparyantanivahe | pramātr̥nạ ̄ṃ tadvat sthiracaravibhede’pi sakale tvayā rikte jāte bhavati mr̥gatr̥sṇ ạ ̄jalavidhiḥ || 117 || mahaccitraṃ devi svayam iha jagadbhedanivahe sthitā saṃvyāpyāpi prakaṭataramūrtyā nanu sadā | nakhāni śrotrādı̄ny api vacanamukhyāny api tathā *pravarttete (em. pravartante) jātu tvayi nahi manopy antaratamaḥ || 118 || natānāṃ bhaktānām atikaruṇayānugrahaparā manovāṅnetrānạ ̄ṃ sulabhagatihetos tvam anaghe | yathā dhyātā tais taiḥ padanalinasevāparajanais tathā rūpaṃ dhatse janani jagaduddhāraṇapare || 119 || nimeṣonmeśābhyām agaṇitavidhātraṇdạ vilayodbhavau syātāṃ yasyāḥ parataramahās ́aktivapuṣaḥ | mahāmāyās ́akteḥ śritajanasamı̄hāphalavidhau kiyaccitraṃ nānāvidhatanudhr̥tis te paraśive || 120 || bhavatyā brahmādyā vayam iha jagatsr̥sṭ ị vilayasthitau saṃsthāṃ prāptā janani satataṃ tadvyavasitāḥ | viṣaṇnạ ̄ḥ smaḥ kr̥tye vihatabalavı̄r yādivibhavāḥ samuddharttuñ cāsmān prabhavasi hi caikaiva paramā || 121 || 889 The outward appearance of the three goddesses is described in vv. 128–145. 890 The satyaloka is described in vv. 27–38. 891 See also above, TR, mk, 8, 25 and note 869. 892 The triad of Vāmā, Jyeṣth ̣ ā and Raudrı̄ is associated with the trimūrti and with the cosmic functions of creation, maintenance and destruction (see above, note 862). The epithet jyeṣtḥ ā seems therefore appropriate for Lakṣmı̄ as spouse of Viṣṇu, the god accountable for the maintenance of the world. 893 See epithet 247 in LSN, 2, 60c: padmanayanā, with the same meaning. 894 This identification of Lakṣmı̄ with Parā, the highest of the four levels of the Word, seems inconsistent with her identification with Jyeṣth ̣ ā, who is associated with the Intermediate Word. 895 See epithet 49: “All rosy-hued” (LSN, 2, 21a: sarvāruṇa)̄ . As Bhāskararāya remarks: “her garments, ornaments, flowers, colour, etc. are all rosy tinted.” [R. A. Sastry (ed.): 1976: 56, see also Paṇsı́ k̄ ar (ed.) 1935: 37]. 896 See epithet 210 in LSN, 2, 53d: mahālakṣmı ̄. 897 Sāmrājyā means she who possesses by herself universal sovereignty. This epithet differs from sāmrajñı ̄, designating the spouse of the universal sovereign, whose regality is subordinated to the fact of being the consort

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of a king. See also epithet 692: “Bestower of universal sovereignty” (LSN, 2, 135c: sāmrājyadāyinı ̄), designating she who confers the status of universal sovereign to the king who has performed the rājasūya sacrifice [see Bhaskararāya’s commentary in R. A. Sastry (ed.) 1976: 274–275 and in Paṇsı́ k̄ ar (ed.) 1935: 144]. 898 See epithet 192: “She who gives happiness” (LSN, 2, 50d: sukhapradā), where sukha, according to Bhāskararāya, designates happiness in this world and in the next, as well as final beatitude [see R. A. Sastry (ed.) 1976: 117 and Paṇsı́ k̄ ar (ed.) 1935: 66]; see also 968: “Promoting happiness” (LSN, 2, 177c: sukhakarı ̄). 899 See epithet 761: “Good fortune” (LSN, 2, 146c: subhagā). 900 This epithet also appears as 317 in LSN, 2, 72c: rakṣak̄ arı ̄. In his commentary Bhāskararāya remarks that rakṣa ̄ also means “ashes”, thus, by causing them, the Goddess is not only protectress, but also destroyer [see R. A. Sastry (ed.) 1976: 165 and Paṇsı́ k̄ ar (ed.) 1935: 89]. 901 These last two epithets also appear as 307: ramyā and 310: ramaṇı ̄ in LSN, 2, 71bc. 902 The text refers to the Śrı̄cakra, with which the Goddess is identified. 903 TR, mk, 12, 2–6: namo lakṣmyai mahādevyai padmāyai satataṃ namaḥ | namo viṣnụ vilāsinyai padmasthāyai namo namaḥ || 2 || tvaṃ sākṣādd harivakṣaḥsthā surajyeṣtḥ ā varodbhavā | padamākṣı ̄ padmasaṃsthānā padmahastā parāmayı̄ || 3 || paramānandadāpāṅgahr̥tasaṃs ́ritadurgatiḥ | aruṇānandinı̄ lakṣmı̄r mahālakṣmı̄s triśaktikā || 4 || sāmrājyā sarvasukhadā nidhināthā nidhipradā | nidhı̄sá pūjyā nigamastutā nityamahonnatiḥ || 5 || sampattisammatā sarvasubhagā saṃstuteśvarı̄ | ramā rakṣākarı̄ ramyā ramaṇı ̄ maṇdạ lottamā || 6 || 904 Lakṣmı̄’s outward appearance is described in vv. 9–12. 905 See vv. 25–26. 906 See epithet 298: Nārāyaṇı ̄ in LSN, 70a; in his commentary, Bhāskararāya quotes explanations of this name from several Purāṇic texts [see R. A. Sastry (ed.) 1976: 161–162 and Paṇsı́ k̄ ar (ed.) 1935: 87]. 907 For this translation of the terms vācya and vācaka, see Padoux 1990: 83, note 144. 908 The terms sṣtị kartrı ̄ and saṃhāriṇı ̄ appear also as epithets 264: “Creatrix” and 268: “Destroyer” in LSN, 2, 63c: sṣtị kartrı ̄ and 64a: saṃhāriṇı ̄. 909 TR, mk, 12, 53c–58b: śaraṇāgatadı̄nārttigiridāraṇavajriṇi || 53cd || rakṣāsmān praṇatān lakṣmi nārāyaṇi namo’stu te | yat kr̥pāleśam āsādya narāḥ paṅgvandhakā api || 54 || spardhanti vidhimukhyaiḥ sā nārāyaṇi namo’stu te | purānạ puruṣo viṣnụ r yāṃ vinā so’pi pālane || 55 || na śaktaḥ sā parā tvaṃ vai nārāyaṇi namo’stu te | parāsá ktis tvam ı̄s ́ānı̄ vācyavācakarūpiṇı ̄ || 56 || sarvasāramayı̄ tvaṃ vai nārāyaṇi namo’stu te | sr̥sṭ ị kartrı̄ brahmaśaktir gośrı̄ viṣnụ balodyamā || 57 || saṃhāriṇı ̄ rudraśaktir nārāyaṇi namo’stu te | 58ab 910 The outward appearance of Śiva is described in vv. 6–13. 911 The hymn is found in vv. 19–23. 912 This ritual is described in vv. 74–78. 913 The text alludes to the well-known myth of the sacrifice of Satı̄, which is briefly recalled below, in Chapter 23. 914 These two events are related below, in Chapter 22.

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915 In this verse janayitrı ̄, pālayitrı ̄ and saṃhāriṇı ̄ stand for the śaktis of Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Śiva, who are the forms taken by Tripurā as trirūpā (see above, Chapter 10). By identifying Lakṣmı̄ with them, the text identifies Lakṣmı̄ with Tripurā, as is also emphasized in the subsequent narrative about Kāma (see below, Chapters 24, 25 and 36). This identification is made explicit in the ́ ̄sūkta (see below, TR, mk, 53, 44cd, 58cd), which is discussed Eulogy of the Srı in Part I, Chapter 1. It may be noted that saṃhāriṇı ̄ and rudrarūpā appear also as epithets 268 and 269 in LSN, 2, 64a. 916 TR, mk, 21, 78–83: jaya lakṣmi mahādevi jaya sampadadhı̄s ́vari | jaya padmālaye mātar jaya nārāyaṇapriye || 78 || tvaṃ gatiḥ sarvajagatāṃ bhı̄tānāṃ bhayahāriṇı ̄ | praṇatārttihare devi nārāyaṇi namo’stu te || 79 || sakr̥t sannatimātreṇa bhaktyā dāridryanās ́ini | jagato hara bhı̄tiṃ tvaṃ nārāyaṇi namo’stu te || 80 || jagatāṃ janayitrı̄ tvaṃ pālayitrı̄ haripriyā | saṃhāriṇı ̄ rudrarūpā nārāyaṇi namo’stu te || 81 || padmāsye padmanilaye padmakiñjalkavarṇini | padmapriye padmapade nārāyaṇi namo’stu te || 82 || trāhi trāhi kr̥pāmūrte jagad vidhvaṃsanāditaḥ | kr̥payā rakṣa jagatı̄ṃ nārāyaṇi namo’stu te || 83 || 917 See vv. 45–50. 918 See vv. 35–37. 919 See vv. 43–44. 920 The passage containing the pañcadaśak̄ ṣarı ̄ in encoded form (TR, mk, 24, 51–53) is quoted, translated and commented in Part I, Chapter 1. 921 The Auspicious Hymn of the 108 Names (Saubhāgyāsṭ ọ ttaraśatanāmastotra) is found below, in TR, mk, 26, 11–25. 922 See TR, mk, 24, 66ab: atha kāmaś ca tāṃ vidyāṃ jajāpyaikāgramānasaḥ | 66ab. 923 See Ibidem, 70ab: dadarśa devı̄ṃ tripurāṃ dyātarūpāṃ manoharām | 70ab. 924 TR, mk, 25, 1–12b: dr̥ṣtṿ aivaṃ tripurāṃ devı̄ṃ kuruvindasamaprabhām | maṇipravekapratyupta­­ cārukoṭı̄raśobhitām || 1 || koṭı̄raprāntavilasadbālapı̄yūṣadı̄dhitim | lalantikārat-­­ nakānti*sindura(em.sindūra)dviguṇar̄ uṇam ̄ || 2 || vikasannı̄lakumudasuhr̥nne­ tratrayojjvalām | maṇitātạ ṅkayugalasaṅkrāntāpāṅgasampadam || 3 || nāsāmukt­āphaloṣtḥ ābhāpātạ lı̄bhūtadiktaṭām | dantapaṅktiparābhūtakundakorakaḍambarām || 4 || grı̄vābjaśikharodbhūtamukhāmbujavicitritām | mr̥dubāhulatāprāntakorakābh­āṅgulāvalim || 5 || nakhendukāntiśabalakaṅkaṇormimaṇı ̄gaṇām | muktā-­ hāram­rn ̥ ạ l̄ odyatkucakañjasukuṅmalām || 6 || nābhı̄hradakūlaklr̥ptasopānābhavalitray­am ̄ | hı̄rahārabisāsaktalomapaṅktyātmaśaivalām || 7 || kausumbhāmṣ ú kakūrpāsāntar­asaṃsó bhibhūsạ ṇām | kaṭivyomamadhyamāsadraśanāmaṇitārakām || 8 || pāsá ̄ṅk­uśapuṣpabānạ puṇdṛ acāpāyudhānvitām | gulphāsaktāmṣ u ́ kaprāntaprotaratnagaṇo­ jjvalām || 9 || ratnanūpurahaṃsādipādabhūsạ ṇabhūsị tām | kās ́mı̄-­ raśaśikastūrı̄samālepa­suvāsitām || 10 || karṇottaṃsitakādambaprasūnāmodamiśritām | vikasatpadma­vakulamālatı̄hāradhāriṇım ̄ || 11 || ramāvānı̣ ̄vı̄jyamānavālavyajanaśobhinı̄m | 12ab. 925 On this epithet see below, note 932. 926 Epithet hayārūdḥ ā recalls Aśvārūḍhā, one of the śaktis accompanying Bālā in the battle against Bhaṇḍa (see Chapters 62ff). Epithet senānetrı ̄ alludes to the warrior goddess character of Lalitā. 927 TR, mk, 25, 17–25: kalaye karuṇāpāṅgı̄ṃ kāraṇamūrtyaikakāraṇı ̄bhūtām | kāmeśvarı̄ṃ na hı̄taradevaṃ kañcit kadācid abhiyāce || 17 || abhiyāce paramāṃ tām aṅkuśapās ́aprasūnacāpakarām | alam alam anuttarāmbācaraṇād anyeya devatākhyena ||18 ||

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gr̥hyante tripurāyāḥ karuṇakallolavāsitakaṭākṣāḥ | sarvopari loke’smin paśyāmy ambām ihaikarūpāṃ tāṃ || 19 || ı̄psitam anı̄psitaṃ vā mamāstu satataṃ trimūrtijanayitryāḥ | ı̄hāsú ̄nyāyā no karomi śaraṇaṃ tato’nyadevagaṇam || 20 || lalatu hr̥di saiva devı̄ mama nityaṃ yā maheśasaṃsevyā | lalitā rājñı̄ mānyā kadāpi sevyāstu devatā mānyā || 21 || harṣayatu mām ajasraṃ hariharamukhyaiḥ samās ́ritāṅghriyugā | yā ca hayārūdḥ ākhyā senānetrı̄ namāmi tāṃ brūyām || 22 || rakṣatu mām ikṣudhanuḥpuṣpaśarādḥ yakr̥pekṣayā satatam | kāmeśv­arābhirāmā nānyā mameśvarı̄ bhavati || 23 || aṅkurayatu hr̥di bhaktiṃ nijapadayugale sadā maheśānı̄ | ambā kāmākṣı ̄ naivānyasyāṃ mamāstu talleśaḥ || 24 || sammanute mama hr̥dayaṃ vastuṃ tasyāḥ padābjayoḥ satatam | sarvajñāyā devyā ghaṭayatu tan me maheśvarı̄ manasaḥ || 25 || 928 This speech of Tripurā is contained in vv. 39c–44b. 929 See TR, mk, 26, 6: … yat pr̥sṭ ạ ṃnāmnām aṣtọ ttaraṃśatam | śrı̄vidyāvarṇaratnānām nidhānam iva saṃsthitam || 6 ||. 930 The fact that this kind of information is provided reveals the desire to ascribe to the stotra a dignity comparable to that of the Vedic hymns, in whose indexes (anukramaṇikā) these details are usually found. 931 See TR, mk, 26, 9–10: saubhāgyāsṭ ọ ttaraśatanāmastotrasya bhārgava | r̥sị r uktaḥ śivaś chando’nuṣtụ p śrı̄lalitāmbikā || 9 || devatā vinyaset kūtạ trayenāvartya sarvataḥ | dhyātvā sampūjya manasā stotram etad udı̄rayet || 10 ||. 932 Kāmeśvarı̄, the principal goddess of the Nityā cult, in the mk of the TR is identified with Tripurasundarı̄ dwelling with her consort Kāmeśvara, Śiva as Lord of Kāma, in the core of the Island of Jewels (see below, Chapter 55). See also epithet 143 in the LTS: “Kāmeśvarı̄” (Kāmeśı ̄) in Sanderson 2017: 23, and 243: “charming the heart of Kāmeśvara” (kāmeśvaramanoharā, Eng. trans. in Ibidem: 31). 933 Kāmaśakti may also be rendered as “s ́akti of Kāma”, indicating Rati, the spouse of Kāma. 934 Kāmasaubhāgyadāyinı ̄may also be rendered as “she who grants happiness [by fulfilling] desires”. Epithet 63 in the LSN: “she who fulfills desires” (LSN, 2, 23d: kāmadāyinı ̄) has a similar meaning; in his commentary Bhāskararāya suggests that this epithet, among other meanings, may also signify: she who bestows to her devotees the identity with Śiva Kāmeśvara [see R. A. Sastry (ed.) 1976: 63 and Paṇsı́ k̄ ar (ed.) 1935: 41]. 935 Kāmarūpā: it is to be noted that Kāmarūpa is the name of the mahāpı ̄ṭha in Assam, where the yoni of Satı̄ is deemed to have fallen after the dismemberment of her body. 936 On the notion of kāmakalā see above, note 461. See also epithet 322: “in the form of kāmakalā” (LSN, 2, 73a: kāmakalārūpā). 937 Kamalāsanā: see also the synonym padmāsanā (278 in LSN, 2, 65c). 938 Here kalā probably designates the supreme divine Energy of Tripurā (see also TR, mk, 9, 39 and note 873). 939 Anuttara is a technical term which, in Śaiva non-dualism, designates the Absolute, the divine Consciousness as universal Subject. It is mostly found in the works by Abhinavagupta and his disciples, and in the YH (see the relevant entry in TAK I 2000: 121). The first śloka of the Parātrı ̄śikā opens with this word; in the relevant note on the vivaraṇa by Abhinavagupta, J. Singh explains: Anuttaram: the unsurpassable Divine Consciousness is so-called, because, as Abhinavagupta puts it, it is the Experient of all, and there is none other that can make it its object of experience. It is the universal subject

272  Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya par excellence. ‘Tasya tu cidātmanaḥ svaprakās ́asya na grāhakāntaram asti iti anuttaratvam’ (Laghuvtti on Parātrı ̄s ́ikā, p. 1). ‘Anuttara is so-called, because there is none other who can act as subject of that Self-luminous Universal Consciousness.’ It is the Eternal Universal Subject of all experience. [Bäumer (ed.) 1996: 6, note 2] 940 Anaghā is also epithet 987 in LSN, 2, 180c. 941 This epithet alludes to Tripurā arising from the sacrificial fire (see below TR, mk, 51, 39ab; Ibidem, 53, 57; Ibidem, 55. 942 See also epithet 665 in LSN, 2, 131c: ekākinı ̄, with the same meaning; as Bhāskararāya puts it: “one because she is without a second.” ekākinı ̄ dvitı ̄yarāhityāt [Paṇsı́ k̄ ar (ed.) 1935: 141, Eng. trans. in R. A. Sastry (ed.) 1976: 269]. 943 Elāmodamukhā may be rendered also as “she who is the source of merriment and pleasure”. 944 In the Śrı̄vidyā tradition the phoneme I ̄ symbolizes the kāmakalā (for details see the entry “I”̄ in TAK I 2000: 219). Bhāskararāya too, commenting on ̄ explains it as signifying the kāmakalā: epithet 712 in LSN, 2, 138c: “I”, “This name is one-syllabled belonging to the turı ̄ya known as Kāmakalā.” ı ̄ turyasvarūpam ekākṣaraṃ kāmakalā samjñakam idam nāma [Paṇsı́ k̄ ar (ed.) 1935: 148, Eng. trans. in R. A. Sastry (ed.) 1976: 282]. Zimmer remarks: “Without this ‘i’, Śiva is but a corpse, a śava. Who or what, then, is this enlivening vowel-sign, or ‘i’, if not the Goddess, Śakti, the supreme representative of movement and life?” (Zimmer 1974: 206). 945 Lalitā literally means: “playing, wanton, amorous, voluptuous, artless, innocent, gentle, charming, lovely” (MW 897c). Epithet 1000 is “Mother Lalitā” (LSN, 2, 182b: Lalitāmbikā). In his commentary Bhāskararāya explains that the Goddess is so-called because she plays (lalate), the manifestation of the universe being the free expression of her divine play; moreover, she is the goddess of love, associated with all that is beautiful, and endowed with the attributes of Kāma, the sugarcane bow and the flower-arrows [see R. A. Sastry (ed.) 1976: 373–374]. 946 Lalanārūpā. See also epithet 65 in the LTS, lalanārūpā, rendered by Sanderson as: “whose form is [all] women” (Sanderson 2017: 19 and note 34). 947 This epithet may allude to the yogic meditative practices focused on a mantra, which is contemplated in its increasingly subtle phonic elements; the Goddess is identified with the subtlest of such elements, the nāda, the sound that is perceived by the sādhaka deeply absorbed in meditation, a sound that progressively fades away, reabsorbed into silence. 948 Laghimā may allude to the supernatural power (siddhi) of assuming excessive lightness at will. 949 Hālāpriyā. See also epithet 120 in the LTS: “languid with the intoxication of wine” (hālāmadālasā, Eng. trans. in Sanderson 2017: 22), and 330, 431, 432 in the LSN: “loving wine, rich in intoxication, her eyes red and unsteady with intoxication” (LSN, 2, 74b, 91d, 92a: kādambarı ̄priyā, madaśālinı ̄ madāghūrṇitaraktākṣı ̄, Eng. trans. by Sanderson, quoted in Ibidem: note 45). ́ who, after having defeated Gajāsura, wears the latter’s elephant 950 This is Siva hide, taking thus the name of Kttivāsas (“clad in elephant hide”). This ́ episode is narrated, for instance, in SPur, Rudrasaṃhitā, Yuddhakhaṇdạ , 57. See also epithet 115 in the LTS: “consort of him who delights in the [bloody] hide of the elephant” (hastikttipriyānġ anā, Eng. trans. in Sanderson 2017: 21).

Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya  273 951 Rāmarāmārcitā may be rendered also as “worshipped by the spouse of Rāma (Sı̄tā)”. 952 See also epithet 306: rājñı ̄ in LSN, 2, 71a 953 See also epithet 307: ramyā in LSN, 2, 71b. 954 Rati – which literally means “pleasure, passion, amorous enjoyment” (MW 867c) – is the name of the spouse of Kāma. See also epithet 315 in the LSN: “in the form of Rati” (LSN, 2, 72b: ratirūpā). 955 See above, note 900 on TR, mk, 12, 6, in the Hymn of the 28 Names of Lakṣmı ̄. 956 See also epithet 310: ramaṇı ̄ in LSN, 2, 71c. 957 Ramaṇı ̄maṇdạ lapriyā may be rendered also as “fond of the company of beautiful young women”. 958 See also epithets 985: ambā, and 295: ambikā in LSN, 2, 180b and 69c. 959 The contiguity of these two epithets emphasizes the polarity of the contradictory aspects of the Great Goddess, who bestows life and death. 960 See also epithet 196: sarvajñā in LSN, 2, 51c, and 122 in LTS, in Sanderson 2017: 22. 961 See also epithet 702: sarvagā in LSN, 2, 137b. 962 See also epithet 820: satı ̄ in LSN, 2, 154d. Satı̄, which means “faithful wife”, is the name of the daughter of Dakṣa, the spouse of Śiva. 963 See also epithet 910: saumyā in LSN, 2, 168c. This epithet means “gentle, mild” and is also associated with soma, the moon, suggesting that the Goddess resembles the moon. 964 See also epithet 203: sarvamayı ̄ in LSN, 2, 52c. For Bhāskararāya this epithet means that the Goddess is she who includes all tattvas, from Śiva to earth [see R. A. Sastry (ed.) 1976: 119 and Paṇsı́ k̄ ar (ed.) 1935: 67]. This is clearly expressed by the successive epithet. 965 TR, mk, 26, 11–25: kāmeśvarı̄ kāmaśaktiḥ kāmasaubhāgyadāyinı̄ | kāmarūpā kāmakalā kāminı̄ kamalāsanā || 11 || kamalā kalpanāhı̄nā kamanı̄yakalāvatı̄ | kamalābhāratı̄sevyā kalpitās ́eṣasaṃsr̥tiḥ || 12 || anuttarānaghānantādbhutarūpānalodbhavā | atilokacaritrātisundary atiśubhapradā || 13 || aghahantry ativistārārcanatuṣtạ ̄mitaprabhā | ekarūpaikavı̄raikanāthaikāntār­ canapriyā || 14 || ekaikabhāvatuṣtạ ikarasaikāntajanapriyā | edhamānaprabhāvaidhadbhaktapā­ takanās ́inı̄ || 15 || elāmodamukhaino’driśakrāyudhasamasthitiḥ | ı̄hāsu ́ n ̄ yepsiteśad̄ isevyeśan ̄ avarāṅ­ ganā || 16 || ı̄s ́varājñāpikekārabhāvyepsitaphalapradā | ı̄sá netiharekṣeṣadaruṇākṣı ̄sv́ areśva­ rı̄ || 17 || lalitā lalanārūpā layahı̄nā lasattanuḥ | layasarvā layakṣoṇir layakarṇı ̄ layātmikā || 18 || laghimā laghumadhyādḥ yā lalamānā laghudrutā | hayārūdḥ ā hatāmitrā harakāntā haristutā || 19 || hayagrı̄veṣtạ dā hālāpriyā harṣasamuddhatā | harṣanā hallakābhāṅgı̄ hastyantaiśvaryadāyinı̄ || 20 || halahastārcitapadā havirdānaprasādinı̄ | rāmarāmārcitā rājñı̄ ramyā ravamayı̄ ratiḥ || 21 || rakṣiṇı ̄ ramaṇı ̄ rākā ramaṇı ̄maṇdạ lapriyā | rakṣitākhilalokeśā rakṣogaṇaniśūdinı̄ || 22 || ambāntakāriṇy ambhojapriyāntakabhayaṅkarı̄ | amburūpāmbujakarāmbujajā­ tavarapradā || 23 ||

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antaḥpūjāpriyāntaḥsvarūpiṇy antarvacomayı̄ | antakārātivāmāṅkasthitāntaḥ­ sukharūpiṇı ̄ || 24 || sarvajñā sarvagā sārā samā samasukhā satı̄ | santatiḥ santatā somā sarvā sāṅkhyā sanātanı̄ || 25 || 966 See Ibidem, 26–37. 967 This episode is briefly related above, in Chapter 23. 968 See TR, mk, 26, 42ab: ākās ́amātrarūpā sā gaurı̄ jagati saṃsthitā. 969 See vv. 5–8. 970 In the two epithets khagā (“moving in space, or in the sky”) and khācchanibhāktiḥ (“she whose form is like transparent space, or the clear sky”), the term kha is interpreted as a synonymous with ākāsá (“space, sky, ether”). Accordingly, these epithets may allude to the episode narrated in Chapter 26 where it is said that, after her sacrifice as Satı̄, Gaurı̄ remained in the world in incorporeal form. Furthermore, Tripurā herself appears in the form of space (see above, TR, mk, 1, 68b, TR, mk, 9, 88ab and TR, mk, 10, 26bc). But the term kha may also designate the inner space, the space of the heart, where the yogin experiences divine Consciousness personified by the Goddess. In this case these epithets should be rendered as: “moving in the inner space” and “she whose form is like the clear, inner space”. For the meaning of kha and khaga, see also TAK II 2004: 161, 1. 971 Kriyā means “ritual act” (see the relevant entry in TAK II 2004: 145). However here kriyā probably indicates the kriyāsá kti, the Goddess’s energy of action. 972 Mādhvı ̄priyā, see also hālāpriyā (“she who likes liquor”) in TR, mk, 26, 20ab and note 949. 973 Mātgaṇa probably refers to the widely venerated seven Mother Goddesses (saptamātaraḥ). The existence and worship of a group of female deities known as māt (“mothers”) and associated with both fertility/life and illness/death is testified since the first centuries CE. In Tantric sources, these Mothers are sometimes identified with the consorts of the Brahmanical gods; in some texts and traditions they are fused together with the figures of the yoginı ̄s (see the entry māt in TAK IV, forthcoming). 974 Mātkā, which literally means “mother” or “little mother”, also indicates the phonemes of the Sanskrit alphabet and, in Tantric sources, designates an alphabet deity, “the Mother-Energy of the phonemes”. As for its occurrence in this hymn, it may be noted that the epithet mātkā would be more appropriate for Sarasvatı̄ than for Gaurı̄, as testified in v. 19 of the Hymn in Praise of the Mother-Energy of the Phonemes (Mātkāstuti) (see below, TR, mk, 40, 11–21). 975 Manonmanı̄ is the name of a śakti of Śiva in several Tantric sources (for details see the relevant entry in TAK IV, forthcoming). 976 In the epithet parāmarśamayı ̄, parāmarśa stands for vimarśa, the reflective awareness of the supreme Lord (Śiva). See also above TR, mk, 9, 87cd. 977 In the epithet pariṇatākhilā the Goddess is identified with all products of the evolution (pariṇam ̄ a) of prakti, hence with the whole phenomenal world. 978 In this epithet paśuvṣa is synonymous with paśupati. 979 These three epithets may be understood in two ways. If kalā is considered as singular, it probably refers to the supreme Energy of the Goddess, the reflective awareness (vimarsá sá kti), taking the form of Ambikā, manifesting as Supreme Word (parā vāk), also called supreme Mother (mātkā) [see YH, 1, 36: “When this supreme kalā sees the flashing forth of the Self, assuming the aspect of Ambikā, the supreme Word is being uttered” ātmanaḥ sphuraṇaṃ pasý ed yadā sā paramā kalā | ambikārūpam āpannā parā vāk samudı ̄ritā || 36 || Eng. trans. in Padoux with Jeanty (ed.) 2013: 37; see Amtānanda’s commentary in Padoux (ed.) 1994: 136]. If

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this is the case, these epithets would perfectly match the previous mātkā (v. 16a) and parāmarsá mayı ̄ (v. 17cd); a similar meaning is also carried by Tripurā’s epithet “endowed with the lovely kalā” (kāmanı ̄yakalāvatı ̄, TR, mk, 26, 12b, see also TR, mk, 9, 39). If, instead, kalā is considered as plural, the three epithets may refer to the kalās designating the sixteen digits of the moon and identified with the vowels; these kalās are forms of the energy of the Word, hence of the Goddess (see also the entry kalā in TAK II 2004: 69–70, 2.). 980 According to the well-known myth – narrated, for instance, in DBhPur, VII, 30, 27–50 – after the suicide of Satı̄, Śiva roamed around the universe carrying the corpse of his spouse; the pieces of her dismembered body fell to earth, in different places all over India. These places became centres of pilgrimage, called pı ̄ṭhas, where the Goddess is still venerated (see the entry pı ̄ṭha in TAK III 2013: 461–462, 4.). These epithets seem appropriate for Gaurı̄, because she is a reincarnation of Satı̄. 981 The choice of the word mataṅga for elephant may allude to the goddess Mātaṅgı̄, one of the ten mahāvidyās. According to a version of their myth narrated in the Śākta-oriented Mahābhāgavatapurānạ (MBhPur), these terrifying goddesses arose out of the anger of Satı̄ (see the reference to MBhPur, 8, 57ff in Kinsley 1987: 162 and 242, note 7). This possible allusion to the mahāvidyās would thus harmonize with the mythic context related to Gaurı̄. 982 TR, mk, 28, 9–22b: gaurı̄ gojananı̄ vidyā śivā devı̄ maheśvarı̄ | nārāyaṇānujā namrabhūsạ ṇā nutavaibhavā || 9 || trinetrā triśikhā śambhusaṃs ́rayā śaśibhūsạ ṇā | śulahastā śrutadharā śubhadā śubharūpiṇı ̄ || 10 || umā bhagavatı̄ rātriḥ somasūr yāgnilocanā | somasūr yātmatātạ ṅkā somasūr yakucadvayı̄ || 11 || ambāmbikāmbujadharāmburūpā pyāyinı̄ sthirā | śivapriyā śivāṅkasthā śobhanā śumbhanās ́inı̄ || 12 || khaḍgahastā khagā kheṭadharā khācchanibhākr̥tiḥ | kausumbhacelā kausumbhapriyā kundanibhadvijā || 13 || kālı̄ kapālinı̄ krūrā karavālakarā kriyā | kāmyā kumārı̄ kuṭikā kumārāmbā kuleśvarı̄ || 14 || mr̥dạ ̄nı̄ mr̥gaśāvākṣı ̄ mr̥dudehā mr̥gapriyā | *mr̥kuṇdụ (em. mr̥kaṇdụ )pūjitā mādhvı̄priyā mātr̥gaṇeḍitā || 15 || mātr̥kā mādhavı̄ *mādyanmānasā (em. māndyamānasā) madirekṣaṇā | modarūpā modakarı̄ munidhyeyā manonmanı̄ || 16 || parvatasthā parvapūjyā paramā paramārthadā | parātparā parāmarśamayı̄ pariṇatākhilā || 17 || pās ́isevyā paśupatipriyā paśuvr̥sạ stutā | paśyantı̄ paracidrūpā parı̄vādaharā parā || 18 || sarvajñā sarvarūpā sā sampattiḥ sampadunnatā | āpannivāriṇı ̄ bhaktasulabhā karuṇāmayı̄ || 19 || kalāvatı̄ kalāmūlā kalākalitavigrahā | gaṇasevyā gaṇeśānā gatirgamanavarjitā || 20 || ı̄s ́varı̄sá ̄nadayitā śaktiḥ śamitapātakā | pı̄tḥ agā pı̄tḥ ikārūpā pr̥sạ tpūjyā prabhāmayı̄ || 21 || mahāmāyā mataṅgeṣtạ ̄ lokālokā śivāṅganā | 22ab 983 This episode is related, for instance, in ŚPur, Rudrasaṃhitā, III (Pār vatı ̄khaṇdạ ), where the story of Pārvatı̄ is narrated extensively. 984 The ekākṣara is the sacred syllable OM̐ . 985 TR, mk, 29, 24–28: namo devi deveśalokeśapūjye namo gauri bhaktārtisaṃhārakartri |

276  Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya





namo lokajālaikahetusvarūpe namaste namaste namaste bhavāni || 24 || parāsá ktirūpā śivasya tvam ekā jagajjālasūtrātmikā sarvasaṃsthā | tvam ekākṣarārthaikarūpā virūpā namaste namaste namaste bhavāni || 25 || natānāṃ bhavābdhau gabhı̄re’tibhı̄me sthitānāṃ samuddhāraṇe kā tvadanyā | samarthā tato māṃ samabhyuddharārtaṃ namaste namaste namaste bhavāni || 26 || avidyāmahāgrāhavaktre niviṣtạ ṃ hr̥sı̣ ̄kārthavāñchāmahāsarpadaṣtạ ṃ | viditvā vilambaṃ na yuktaṃ kr̥pārdre namaste namaste namaste bhavāni || 27 || cirāt tvatpadaṃ mocakaṃ duḥkhapāśān na cānyanmamāstı̄ha duḥkhapra­ śāntyai | iti svāntare niścitārthaḥ sadāha namaste namaste namaste bhavāni || 28 || 986 I am very grateful to Gerhard Oberhammer for his valuable suggestions on some difficult passages of this hymn. 987 TR, mk, 30, 17–28: śive devi saṃvitsudhāsāgarātmasvarūpāsi sarvāntarātmaikarūpā | na kiñcid vinā tvatkalām asti loke tataḥ satsvarūpāsi satye’py asatye || 17 || asatyaṃ punaḥ satyam anye dvirūpaṃ dvayātı̄tam eke jaguḥ sarvam etat | na te tāṃ vidur māyayā mohitās te cidānandarūpā tvam evāsi sarvam || 18 || kṣaṇānāṃ kramair bhinnarūpāṃ dharādyair mitām āhur eke tamomātra­ rūpām | tamodı̄ptisaṃbhinnarūpāñ ca śāntasvarūpāṃ maheśı ̄ṃ vidus tvāṃ na te’jñāḥ || 19 || śivādikṣitiprāntatattvāvalir yā vicitrā yadı̄ye śarı̄re vibhāti | paṭe citrakalpā jale sendutārānabhovat parā sā tvam evāsi sarvā || 20 || abhinnaṃ vibhinnaṃ bahir vāntare vā vibhāti prakāsá s tamo vāpi sarvam | r̥ te tvāṃ citiṃ yena no bhāti kiñcit tatas tvaṃ samastaṃ na kiñcit tvadanyat || 21 || nirudhyāntaraṅgaṃ vilayayākṣasaṅghaṃ parityajya sarvatra kāmād­i­ bhāvam | sthitānāṃ mahāyogināṃ cittabhūmau cidānandarūpā tvam ekā vibhāsi || 22 || tathānye manaḥ sendriyaṃ sañcarac cāpy asaṃyamya tanmārgake jāgarukāḥ | svasamvitsudhādarśadehe sphurantaṃ mahāyogināthāḥ prapaśyanti sarvam || 23 || nirukte mahāsāramārge’tisūkṣme gatiṃ ye na vindanti mūdḥ asvabhāvāḥ | janān tān samuddhartum akṣāvagamyaṃ bahiḥ sthūlarūpaṃ vibhinnaṃ bibharṣi || 24 || tadārādhane’nekamārgān vicitrān vidhāyātha mārgeṇa kenāpi yāntam | nadı̄vāri sindhur yathā svı̄karoti pradāya svabhāvaṃ svātmı̄karoṣi || 25 || tathā tāsu mūrtiṣv anekāsu mukhyā dhanurbānạ pāsá ̄ṅkuśādḥ yaiva mūrtiḥ | śarı̄reṣu mūrdheva ye tāṃ bhajeyur janās traipurı̄ṃ mūr tim atyuttamāste || 26 || janān duḥkhasindhoḥ samuddhartukāmā *pathas (em. pathān) tān anekān pradiśya prakr̥sṭ ạ ̄n | dayārdrasvabhāveti vikhyātakı̄rtis tvam ekaiva pūjyā parāsá ktirūpā || 27 || sadā te padābje manaḥsạ ṭpado me pivan tad rasaṃ *nirvr̥taḥ (em. nirvr̥ttaḥ) saṃsthito’stu | iti pārthanāṃ me niśamyaśu mātar vidhehi svadr̥s ṭ ị ṃ dayārdrām apı̄s ạ t || 28 || 988 For an analysis of the myth of Śiva seducing the wives of the ascetics in the pine forest, and an examination of its various sources, see Doniger O’Flaherty 1973: 172–209. For the relevant references, see Ibidem: 322. 989 See TR, mk, 35, 10: lı̄nārthagamakaṃ yasmāl liṅgaṃ sākṣāt paraḥ śivaḥ | madrūpam aparaṃ liṅgaṃ sarvakāraṇabhāvataḥ || 10 ||. For this praise of the liṅga and the enjoinment of its cult, see Ibidem, 11–20. 990 See above, Chapter 21.

Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya  277 991 Different explanations of the meaning of the name Kāmākṣı,̄ to be found in other sources, are discussed in Part I, Chapter 3. 992 The account of these facts is resumed, more in detail, in Chapter 47. For a discussion of the original variant of the myth of Kāma contained in the TR and its peculiarity compared with its better known Purāṇic versions, see Part I, Chapter 3. 993 For an analysis of the circumstances of the birth of Skanda, and an examination of the various sources where these are related, see Doniger O’Flaherty 1973: 267–271. For the relevant references, see Ibidem: 321–322. 994 The passage describing this epiphany of Tripurā/Gāyatrı̄ (vv. 48–55) is quoted, translated and commented in Part II, Chapter 3. 995 For the explanation of the title of this hymn, Mātkāstuti (in v. 24c), see Part II, Chapter 3, where the most significant passages of this hymn are quoted and commented. For detailed information on the term mātkā, see the relevant entry in TAK IV, forthcoming. 996 TR, mk, 40, 11–21: jaya jaya devi parāpararūpiṇi jaya jaya jagatāṃ janayitri jaya jaya lı̄lābhāsitasakale jaya jaya sarvāsŕ ayarūpe | jaya jaya sarvapralayavibhāvini jaya jaya sarvāntararūpe jaya jaya vidyāvilasitadehe jaya jaya śaṅkari naḥ pāhi || 11 || nirgataguṇakr̥tijātivibhede citsukhasāndrasudhājaladhe parihr̥taparimiti paravāgrūpiṇi mūlavilāsini muktimayi | svātantreṇa samı̄hitabhāve maṇipuravāsini paśyanti jaya jaya vidyāvilasitadehe jaya jaya śaṅkari naḥ pāhi || 12 || tadanu jñānamayātmavibhaktān madhyamabhāvān kalayantı̄ madhyamarūpānāhatavāsini miśritarūpe buddhimayi | vasuvidhaśaktibahiṣkr̥tabhāve pı̄tḥ avibhede vicitrakr̥te jaya jaya vidyāvilasitadehe jaya jaya śaṅkari naḥ pāhi || 13 || advayasaṃvinmātraśarı̄raṃ sadvayabhāvaṃ kalayantı̄ jātānuttaramukhaśara­ kiraṇair mithunavibhedād api daśadhā | ādyā tatparaparasaṃyogād bhūyaś cāpi caturvidhatā jaya jaya vidyāvilasitadehe jaya jaya śaṅkari naḥ pāhi || 14 || ante bhedābhedavibhedād api nr̥pasaṃkhyasvararūpā pañcavidhaṃ tatpañcakam ādyaṃ vyatyayayogād vedavidhā | tadanu caturdhā madhyamahı̄nā mithunadvitayaṃ kalayantı̄ jaya jaya vidyāvilasitadehe jaya jaya śaṅkari naḥ pāhi || 15 || evaṃ *bhūs ́a (em. bhūsạ ̄)ramitabhedādḥ yā vidyārājñı̄ mātā tvaṃ tatsaṃbhedād akhilabhinnaṃ bhāvayasi tvaṃ śabdamayi | tvatkalayā yadi no sambhinnaṃ gaganamayaṃ syād akhilam idaṃ jaya jaya vidyāvilasitadehe jaya jaya śaṅkari naḥ pāhi || 16 || sthānatrayam api kalayā hı̄naṃ tava yadi mātar no kiñcit paramañ cāpi padaṃ vikalaṃ cec chapatho yo’yaṃ netarathā | tattvaṃ pratyāhr̥takalayā tadrūpaṃ vyāpya sadā sphurasi jaya jaya vidyāvilasitadehe jaya jaya śaṅkari naḥ pāhi ||17 || vayam iha loke sarjanamukhye kr̥tye yuktās tvadbhı̄tyā tvatpadapadmaprabhavāḥ kāle sı̄dantas tvām avindataḥ | kāle kāle pādapraṇatān anu bhı̄tān mūdḥ ān atidı̄nān jaya jaya vidyāvilasitadehe jaya jaya śaṅkari naḥ pāhi || 18 || medhā vānı̣ ̄ bhāratı̄ tvaṃ vidyā mātā sarasvatı̄ | brāhmı̄ māyā varṇamayı̄ parādyā kr̥tir avyayā || 19 || vikalpā nirvikalpājā kalā nādamayı̄ kriyā | kālaśaktiḥ sarvarūpā śivā śrutir anuttarā || 20 || rakṣāsmāraṃs tvaṃ mahādevi sarvalokamaheśvari | patitāmṣ tvaccaraṇayo rakṣa devi namo’stu te || 21 ||

278  Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya 997 See vv. 25–28. 998 For a Purāṇic version of the circumstances of the birth of Kṣṇa, see, for instance, BhPur, X, 2–5. 999 This rebirth of the Goddess is mentioned, for instance, in DM, 11, 43. 1000 The Katyāyānı̄ vow is described in vv. 90–103. For a relevant Purāṇic source, see, for instance, BhPur, X, 22. 1001 In his book on the Devı ̄māhātmya Coburn provides interesting information about the figure of Katyāyānı̄. Her earliest appearance is found in one of the variants of the Gāyatrı̄ mantra mentioned in the Taittirı ̄ya Āraṇyaka (TĀ r, 10, 1: kātyāyanāya vidmahe kanyākumāri dhimahi | tan no durgiḥ pracodayāt || quoted in Coburn 1984: 118). Katyāyānı̄ is mentioned in the Harivaṃs ́a (HV) as the daughter of Nanda and Yaśodā, dwelling in the Vindhya mountains, and as the slayer of Śumbha and Niśumbha [HV, 65, 48–57, quoted in Coburn 1984: 233–234, see also Vaidya (ed.) 1969: 427–428]; moreover, in the Bālacarita by Bhāsa she is presented as the slayer of Śumbha, Niśumbha and the buffalo-demon (Bālacarita, 2, 20–25, quoted in Coburn 1984: 235–236). Coburn remarks that the fact that this goddess is mentioned in texts related to the mythic cycle of Kṣṇa Gopāla (as is shown also by the episode of the gopis worshipping Katyāyānı̄, related in BhPur, X, 22) may be explained by hypothesizing that the Kṣṇa Gopāla cycle originated in a Śākta milieu. Furthermore, in order to provide evidence of the connection of Katyāyanı̄ with Pārvatı̄, Coburn compares the accounts of the deeds of Katyāyānı̄ given in the DM and in the Vāmanapurānạ (VāPur), the date of composition of which he indicates as around 500–1000 CE; the VāPur relates how, after having gained the boon of a golden complexion from Brahmā, Pārvatı̄-Kālı̄ freed herself from her black sheath (kośa) and out of this arose Katyāyanı̄; Indra installed her on the Vindhya mountains, calling her Katyāyanı̄-Kauśikı̄-Vindhyavāsinı̄; this goddess, in a successive rebirth, would kill Śumbha and Niśumbha (see VāPur, 28, 22–28, 76). For a full account of what has been summarized here, see Coburn 1984: 186–187, 230–249. Though limited, these data suffice to show the complexity of this divine figure, suggesting that the author(s) of the TR was/were certainly aware of the association of Katyāyānı̄ with Gāyatrı̄ (see Chapter 40), as well as with both Kṣṇa’s and Durgā’s mythic cycles (see Chapters 40–41). 1002 TR, mk, 43, 78–82: jayati suravareṇyā śaṅkarı̄ śumbhahantrı̄ paraśivaparaśaktiḥ paśyatāṃ pāpahantrı̄ | nijapadayugabhaktavrātasantāpahantrı̄ *paricitanijabhāvasvāntaḥvibhrānti­ hantrı̄ (em. paricitanijabhāvasvāntavibhrāntihantrı̄) || 78 || yadi khalu padapadmaṃ saṃsmr̥tañ cet kadācit kathamapi janimadbhiḥ saṃsr̥tav ekavāram | punar api katham eṣāṃ syāt sr̥tir duḥkhadātrı̄ marusalilasamānā sannikarṣasthitı̄nām || 79 || tava janani paro yo vibhavo’nantapāraḥ katham aham ahirāt ̣ tvaṃ prāpya tañ ca pravakṣye | api nabhasi kadācid renavaḥ pārthivāḥ syur gaṇanaparisamāptā naiva te tasya saṃkhyā || 80 || jagati janitaduḥkhaṃ haṃsi yat tan na citraṃ bhavati nanu nijo’yaṃ totake mātr̥bhāvaḥ | na hi jagati samartho bhrāntimāmṣ ́ cāpi kaścin nijagr̥ham abhinaśyet prekṣya kuryād upekṣām || 81 || vacananicayasārāṃ sundarı̄ṃ ko’pi loke vacanarasavilāsais toṣam ānetum ı̄het | sa khalu madhupr̥sạ tkair netum ı̄sṭ ẹ ’mr̥tābdhiṃ madhurasasamabhāvaṃ devi tat te stutiḥ kā || 82 ||

Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya  279 1003 TR, mk, 44, 33–40b: tāṃ dr̥sṭ ṿ ā tripurāṃ devāḥ saundaryajaladhiṃ diśam | koṭikandarpasaundaryasandohatanusundarām || 33 || vidyullatām iva tanutviṣā lokākṣisammuṣam | samānatulitāsé ṣav̄ ayavanyāsaśobhinı̄m || 34 || candracūdạ m ̄ ̣ trinayanāṃ pāsá n ̄ k̇ uśadhanuḥsá rān | dadhānāṃ pānị kamalair dı̄rghavidrumanālajaiḥ || 35 || mukhendusaundaryasaritphullendı̄varalocan­am ̄ | mukhalāvaṇyajaladhiṃ muktābindumadacchadām || 36 || mukhendūnmeṣ­acakitayutakokakucadvayı̄m | aṅgapravālalatikānirgamadbāhuśak̄ hikām || 37 || pā-­ ṇipravālaśak̄ hāgrakorakānġ uliśobhı̄nı̄m | mānị kyakadalı̄kānḍ ạ sūkṣmacchadasamāmṣ u ́ kām || 38 || jaṅghāniṣaṅganikṣiptamadaneṣunibhānġ ulı̄m | vidyullatā­ p­arikṣiptatārābhākalpabhūsị tām || 39 || mukhendūdayanirgacchadūrdhvasaṃ-­ ta­masālakām | 40ab. 1004 The outward, frightful appearance of Kālı̄ is described in vv. 42c–43 and 45–48. 1005 The text alludes to the myth of the churning of the ocean, out of which emerged several wonderful objects, the nectar of immortality, but also a powerful poison. 1006 In her awesome form, the Goddess appears fearsome only to those who do not understand her true nature, which is the all-embracing nature of the godhead, in which life and death are indissolubly intertwined. Her devotees instead, seeing beyond her dreadful appearance, worship Kālı̄ as the Mother of the universe, and she, as a loving mother, bestows upon them her salvific power. 1007 TR, mk, 44, 69–76: kālı̄ karālavadanā karavāladhārā nı̄tāntakālam asurārigaṇā maheśı ̄ | lokār tināsá navidhānavilāsaveṣā pāyād apāyajaladheḥ patitān pade’smāt || 69 || sambhinnanı̄lamaṇiśailanibhā nitāntapādāntasaṅgatavimuktakacapratānā | devārimuṇdạ kr̥takuṇdạ lamaṇdị tāsyā pāyād apāyajaladheḥ patitān pade’smāt || 70 || daityapratānaparicarvaṇavaktrapārśvaprasyandiraktamayasaṃsrutiśobhitānġ ı̄ | nirgatsu raktarasanāntaritastanādḥ yā pāyād apāyajaladheḥ patitān pade’smāt || 71 || muṇdạ ṃ mahāsim abhayaṃ varadaṃ dadhānā dı̄rghair mahāhinibhapānị bhir ugrarūpaiḥ | devārinās ́anavilāsavilolacittā pāyād apāyajaladheḥ patitān pade’smāt || 72 || sadyo nikr̥ttaditijo’ttanumūrddhaklr̥ptāpādapralambirucirasragalaṅkr̥tāṅgı̄ | tadbāhunirmitakaṭı ̄raśanānibaddhā pāyād apāyajaladheḥ patitān pade’smāt || 73 || nr̥tyaprakampitasamunnatapı̄varātimātrastanāhativiśı̄rṇasumeruśrn̥ ̇gā | ās ́āmbarā padanakhakṣatadāritakṣmā pāyād apāyajaladheḥ patitān pade’smāt || 74 || krodhodbhavā *tmam (em. tvam) api daityavinās ́ahetorghoraṃ svarūpam avabhāsayasi mahimnā | na syād yato viṣam ihāmr̥tatoyarās ́iḥ pāyād apāyajaladheḥ patitān pade’smāt || 75 || yatredam ittham akhilaṃ pratibhāti ghoraṃ māyādr̥sá ̄ṃ na ca yathārthadr̥sá ̄ṃ kadācit | tat tvam parāmr̥tamukhapratibhānarūpā pāyād apāyajaladheḥ patitān pade’smāt || 76 || 1008 The account of the deeds of Caṇḍikā and Kālı̄ given in Chapters 42–44 takes its inspiration, with some variants, from the DM, 5–10. 1009 The etymology of the name Durgā propounded here is: durgates trāti (“she who protects from distress”). 1010 See TR, mk, 45, 93cd: na bhinnā nāpi cābhinnā sarvadevasamudbhavā || 93cd ||.

280  Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya 1011 The account of the origin of Durgā and of her slaying of Mahiṣāsura given in Chapters 45–46 takes its inspiration, with some variants, from the DM, 2–4. 1012 See TR, mk, 46, 76d: parāṃ tāṃ tripurākalām. 1013 TR, mk, 46, 77–83: namo namaste jagatāṃ vidhātri saṃhartri sarvāntarasatyarūpe | prapannalokādyavinās ́ahetudayāmburās ́e paripāhi durge || 77 || mahābhayād dānavarājarūpā tvayā samastaṃ jagad etad adya | trātaṃ yathā krūramahāhigrastaṃ bhekaṃ tathāsmāt paripāhi durge || 78 || yadā vayaṃ durviṣahāpadogair grastās tadā tvaṃ jagatāṃ vidhātrı̄ | lı̄lāvapuḥ prāpya vimr̥sṭ ạ mātrā vipannimagnān paripāhi durge || 79 || yat te’khilaṃ lokavitānam etat *tanoḥ (em. tanvas) kalāmṣ á pravi­bhakta­ saṃstham | tadantare darśayasi svarūpaṃ māyā tavaitat paripāhi durge || 80 || māyātmikā tvaṃ nijanirmale’mba yato jagaccitram udı̄r yase’ṅge | vicitrarūpāpi cidekarūpāvibhāvyaśaktiḥ paripāhi durge || 81 || yat te padābjaikasamās ́rayās te vicitrakr̥tyā vidhiviṣnụ mukhyāḥ | tat te vicitrākr̥tir atra kā syāt stumaḥ kathaṃ tvāṃ paripāhi durge || 82 || durgeṣu nityaṃ bhavasaṅkaṭeṣu durantacintāhinigı̄r yamānạ ̄n | śaraṇyahı̄nāccharaṇāgatārtinivāriṇı ̄ tvaṃ paripāhi durge || 83 || 1014 See Ibidem, 91cd: dvātriṃs ́annāmamālā me sarvāpatpravināsí nı̄ || 91cd ||. 1015 Ibidem, 93–98b: durgā durgārtiśamanı̄ durgāpadvinivāriṇı ̄ | durgamacchedinı̄ durgasād­hinı̄ durganāsí nı̄ || 93 || durgatoddhāriṇı ̄ durganihantrı̄ durgamāpahā | durgamajñānadā durga­ daityalokadavānalā || 94 || durgamā durgamālokā durgagātmasvarūpiṇı ̄ | durgamārgapradā durg­a­ mavidyā durgamās ́ritā || 95 || durgamajñānasaṃsthānā durgamadhyānabhāsinı̄ | durgamohā durg­amagā durgamārthasvarūpiṇı ̄ || 96 || durgamāsurasaṃhartrı̄ durgamāyudhadhāriṇı ̄ | durgamāṅgı̄ durgamatā durgamyā durgameśvarı̄ || 97 || durgabhı̄mā durgabhāmā durgabhā durgadāriṇı ̄ | 98ab. 1016 See vv. 98c–102 and 104–105b. 1017 See v. 103. 1018 See vv. 105c–107b. 1019 See vv. 107c–109b. 1020 See vv. 109c–112b. 1021 See TR, mk, 47, 22: “The power of Consciousness, so formed that, being anterior to the triad, she is called Tripurā [and] is beyond [any] enunciation and explanation” citiśaktis tathārūpā tritayāt pūr vabhāvinı ̄ | tripurākhyā samākhyātā vyākhyākhyānavivargitā || 22 ||. This verse provides an etymology of the name of Tripurā corresponding to those given in TR, mk, 1, 62 and Ibidem 8, 9. 1022 This part of the story of Kāma, as well as the facts narrated in Chapter 36, are discussed in Part I, Chapter 3. 1023 Mohinı̄’s beautiful appearance is described in vv. 27–40. 1024 For a comment on several Purāṇic versions of the myth of Mohinı ̄, see Doniger O’Flaherty 1973: 228–229 and 363, notes 77–78. 1025 For a comparison between this list of gurus and those found in other scriptures of the Tripurā tradition, see Part I, Chapter 1. 1026 These ādyācār yas are mentioned again in Chapter 58. 1027 The geographical locations of the pı ̄ṭhas mentioned in the text are taken from the The Sā́ kta Pı ̄ṭhas by D. C. Sircar, an exhaustive reference source for this topic.

Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya  281 1028 The same expression occurs in TR, mk, 9, 87cd. 1029 A different explanation of the name of Tripurā is given in TR, mk, 1, 62; Ibidem, 8, 9; Ibidem, 47, 22. 1030 TR, mk, 49, 9–16: tripurā parameśan ̄ ı̄ sarvakāraṇakāraṇam | sarvāsŕ ayā citiḥ pratyak prakās ́ānandanirbharā || 9 || śivaḥ sarvajagaddhātā saṃvidānandavigrahaḥ | tasyāḥ saṃvid iyaṃ śaktiś cicchaktir abhidhı̄yate || 10 || yā citiḥ parameśasya kriyāsphūrtiḥ sukhātmatā | sā śaktiḥ parameśasya vimarśākhyā mahattarā || 11 || mahākās ́ātmikā yasyāṃ *jagadetāddhi (em. Das, Rao jagad etaddhi) rājate | sā tridhā bhāti rūpaiś ca tripurākhyā prakı̄rtitā || 12 || samudrasya jalam iva sūr yasya kiraṇā iva | dharaṇyā mr̥ttikeveyaṃ śivasya śaktir ı̄ritā || 13 || na tayā vidyate devo vinā kvāpi kathañcana | jalaṃ vineva jaladhir vinevārko gabhastibhiḥ || 14 || lalitā tasya vai mūrtiḥ svavaibhavabharātmikā | cicchakteḥ sthūlataravad dehaḥ sā pūrṇarūpiṇı ̄ || 15 || anyāḥ sarvāḥ śirobāhupādavat syur nirūpitāḥ | kumār yādyāḥ *śaktayo’syā (em. Das Rao śaktayo’syāh)̣ lalitā sarvato’dhikā || 16 ||. 1031 This is related in vv. 17–28, as well as in LU, 10, 78–90. 1032 This praise of Lalitā’s story is found in vv. 26–32. 1033 The account of the origin of Bhaṇḍa is given in vv. 5c–11. For more details, see Part I, Chapter 3. 1034 A similar description of Bhaṇḍa’s retinue and wives is found in LU, 12, 12–13. 1035 For details and a comment on this sacrifice, see Part I, Chapter 1. 1036 This image alludes to the circumstance in which Tripurā/Kāmākṣı ̄ absorbs Kāma into her eyes (see Chapter 36). 1037 TR, mk, 51, 39–62: tattejomadhyataḥ prādurāsı̄cchrı̄tripurāmbikā | taruṇāruṇapuñ­ jāṅgasaṃpradāyatanucchaviḥ || 39 || vidyullateva vidyotattanūdyattanuvalları̄ | vidyullatāvikasitapūrṇacandrāmbujānanā || 40 || kavarı̄timiraughodyatsindū­ rāruṇasuprabhā | tārakājālavadvyomakavarı̄ratnabhūsạ ṇā || 41 || dı̄rghaveṇı ̄bho­ givaktraniryatsı̄mantajihvikā | sindūrāruṇalohityākṣiptakeśanabho’ṅgaṇā || 42 || viparyastārdhacandrāṅkaphāle rājadviśeṣikā | kuntalāligaṇākı̄rṇavikasadva­ dana­mbujā || 43 || mukhasaundaryasarası̄nı̄lāmbujanibhekṣaṇā | kandarpakoṭi­ janan­amantrākūtasamı̄kṣaṇā || 44 || kṣı̄rābdhikoṭilaharı̄saṃbhavāpāṅgasunda rā | cām­­peyakalikāsaṃpatprapoṣakasunāsikā || 45 || kuruvindādarśaśobhāprolla­ sadgaṇdạ maṇdạ lā | apānġ asaridunmajjattātạ ṅkamaṇinı̄rajā || 46 || tāt ạ ṅkā’mbu­ j­asaṃsthānamuktāvalimarālikā | karṇabhūsạ k̄ ānticāpakaṭak̄ ṣaśarasantatiḥ || 47 || pakvadādị mabı̄jātmadantalauhityadacchadā | vikasadraktakumudāntarakiñjalka­ dacchaviḥ || 48 || pravāladacchadodañcaddantakundasukorakā | mandahāsak­sı̣ -̄ ­ ranidhipravālaradanacchadā || 49 || mukhamānị kyakamalavr̥ntābhacibukojjv­alā | maṇigraiveyakākalpalasadgrı̄vābjasundarā || 50 || pānị ratnamr̥nạ l̄ odyat­padmakośastanadvayı̄ | mānikyadehalatikāstanastabakaśobhinı̄ || 51 || mukhacandrapra­ bhābhı̄tinilı̄nakucakokikā | mandasmitasaritpūrakhelatkucamarālikā || 52 || tanuvallı̄sá k̄ hikodyatpānị pallavalohitā | karapravālāgrajapākorakānġ ulimaṇdị tā || 53 || sr̥nị pāsá dhanurbānạ ir lasadbāhucatuṣtạ yā | valayānġ adaratnormikūrpāsavila­ sadbhujā || 54 || mukhapadmamr̥nạ l̄ ābhamuktāhāralatojjvalā | romālitanu­nālodyatkucadvandvābjakuḍmalā || 55 || romālivalları̄mūlanābhinimnālavālinı̄ | nābhı̄-­ saronnı̄taromalatāsá ivālavallikā || 56 || kausumbharatnavasanasamāccha­nnanitambinı̄ | ūrdhvānġ adhāraṇam ̄ ātranimittaprāptamadhyamā || 57 || sūkṣmāb­ hrābhām-̣ ­ śukāntaḥsthadr̥sý atārakabhūsạ ṇā | mānị kyakadalı̄kānḍ ạ paribhāvy­ur̄ um­aṇdạ lā || 58 || padmarāganiṣaṅgābhajaṅghāyugasumaṇdị tā | kama­tḥ ı­p̄ r̥st­­̣ ḥ avibhavasūcanaprapadānvitā || 59 || maṇinūpurasaṃrājatkiṅkiṇıc̄ ārusi­ñjitā | vikasatpadmasaubhāgyavadānyapadapaṅkajā || 60 || padāmbujapravil­asanma­nị haṃsakamaṇdị tā | nakhacandrasudhāsyandahr̥tasannatataptatā || 61 || marālı̄mandagamana­ kulācār yapadadvayı̄ | bhaktavāñchāvitaraṇapadamand­ar̄ apallavā || 62 ||.

282  Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya 1038 The words used in the text are aham (“I”) and idam (“this”). For the meaning of these technical terms, see the relevant entries in TAK I 2000: 166–167 and 215–216. This verse is commented in Part II, Chapter 1. 1039 Here kalā is to be understood as the supreme divine Energy, made of Consciousness, of Tripurā, as in TR, mk, 9, 39 and in Ibidem, 26, 12. 1040 This description of the “kings among the yogins” (yogı ̄ndra) recalls that of the “lords among the great yogins” (mahāyoginātha) given in TR, mk, 30, 23. 1041 TR, mk, 51, 67–74: tava vibhavavilāsaṃ varṇituṃ me na śaktir yad idam api mayoktaṃ tāvakı̄ naiva śaktiḥ | na hi bhavati tato me vākpatitvasya hānir yadi bhavati tadā syāt tvatprasādasya hāniḥ || 67 || suragurur aham evaṃ vacmi yat tattvam eva tvam aham idam itı̄yat sarvam amba tvam eva | tata iha na hi me sto hānilābhau taraṅge madhurakaṭurasau vā kṣı ̄rasindhor ivānyau || 68 || yad iha vividhabhedaṃ prekṣate mūdḥ adr̥sṭ ị r mukuratalavirājaccitravadbhāsa­ mānam | yad idam iha purastād darśitam divyarūpaṃ tad api ca kr̥payā naḥ pūr vavan māyayaiva || 69 || vibudhasamudayānāṃ khaṃ varaṃ manyamāno janani tava vilāsair mohito mūdḥ abuddhiḥ | tava niravadhiśaktiṃ varṇituṃ dr̥sý abedhaṃ yatati vihatatarkais tairthikas tvām ajānan || 70 || vividhavacanajālair asti nāstı̄ti pakṣair vivadanaparamāṇāṃ yāti kālo vr̥thaiva | kṣaṇam api jagadamba tvatkalāṃ cinmayı̄ṃ ye nijahr̥di vimr̥sá ntaḥ saṃsthitās te hi dhanyāḥ || 71 || vigataviṣayatr̥s n ̣ ạ v̄ āsane svāntaraṅge vimalamukuratulye niścale svātmanaiva | tava janani kalāṃ tāṃ *goginaḥ (em. yoginaḥ) prekṣamānāḥ paramasukhapadasthās te hi dhanyā jayanti || 72 || iti ciratarakālaṃ tvatsvarūpaṃ vimr̥s ́yāntarabhuvi dr̥dḥ abhāvāḥ syur nisargasvabhāvāḥ | tadanu bahir aśeṣaṃ tvatsvarūpaṃ mr̥s ́antaḥ tvayi paramavilāsās te hi yogı̄ndrapūjyāḥ || 73 || aham api lalite tvatpādapadmasya kañcit paricayam abhigamyāntaḥ sadā sarvato’pi | vacanaviracanānāṃ cintanānām api tvām aṇu kimapi vinā nāvaimi tattvāṃ nato’smi || 74 || 1042 On the term vilāsa/savilāsa, see note 860 on TR, mk, 8, 3. 1043 TR, mk, 51, 76–83: jaya jaya janani jagallayapālanasarjanavibhave samacitirūpe | sarvābhāsanatanur api vitatā saṃvidanuttaramātraśarı̄rā || 76 || naipuṇyam etad darpaṇasadr̥s ́aṃ bāhyanirodhe’py aticitraṃ te | vijayaty etat tava durghaṭanāghaṭanās ́aktir mahatı̄sattā || 77 || svaṃ rūpaṃ tadvitatam apı̄s ́vari durghaṭaśaktyā parimitarūpam | kr̥tvā darśanadr̥sý avibhedān vividhān sarvān paribhāsayasi || 78 || evaṃ svı̄yaṃ rūpam anekaṃ parimitarūpā paśyantı̄ tvam | bandhakaṃ citparimr̥s ́yāntaryatnād bhūyo bhāsi yathāvat || 79 || svātmādarśe pravitatalı̄lāṃ bhāvayası̄tthaṃ svātantryāt tvam | dr̥sṭ ṿ ā kalpitam etat svı̄yaṃ mandasy aniśaṃ devi namaste || 80 || santatalı̄lām iti yaḥ kaścana śaktyā bhinnas tava jānı̄yāt | sa ca lokānāṃ tvam iva maheśvari lı̄lādraṣtạ ̄ nandati devaḥ || 81 || gūdḥ aṃ rūpaṃ tava savilāsaṃ draṣtụ ṃ śaktā na hi ye dı̄nāḥ | teṣām etat paramaṃ rūpaṃ prakaṭitam akṣnọ ḥ phalasaṃjananam || 82 ||

Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya  283







kuṅkumaśoṇaṃ gurukucanamraṃ candrakalādḥ yaṃ sulalitarūpam | sr̥nị śaracāpān pās ́aṃ bibhrad vayam iha bhūyaḥ praṇamāmas tat || 83 || 1044 See TR, mk, 52, 5c–6: nāhaṃ yonisamudbhūtā manasā vāpi kasyacit || 5cd || agnikuṇdạ samudbhūtā strı̄svarūpāsmyalaukikı̄ | aprasiddhena cāstreṇa nihanmy enaṃ mahāsuram || 6 ||. The same is found in LU, 13. 1045 This episode is also related in LU, 12, 47–64. 1046 See TR, mk, 53, 7–8: meruśrn̥ ̇ge viśvakarmanirmite nagare śubhe | avasat saparı̄vārā yathā loke svake tathā || 7 || athārthitā nijārdhāmṣ á vibhāgaparikalpi­ tam | kāmeśvaraṃ patiṃ cakre samūdḥ ābhavad ambikā || 8 ||. 1047 See Ibidem, 19ab: yatra syāt tripurābhaktis tajjanma caramaṃ bhavet | 19ab. 1048 The same situation is found at the beginning of the LTS (see LTS, 14c–15 in Sanderson 2017: 11–12). 1049 See Ibidem, 40–41: śrı̄sūktaṃ ṣoḍaśarcaṃ tadādi vedasamudbhavam | purā śriyā sudr̥sṭ ạ ṃ tad vedābdheḥ samyaguddhr̥tam || 40 || tenārādhya parāṃ śaktiṃ tripurāṃ suvidhānataḥ | saṃprāptā lokamātr̥tvaṃ sarvapūjyatvam āgatā || 41 ||. 1050 Krama may indicate both a tradition and a sequential worship (see TAK II 2004: 143–144). 1051 For regular, daily worship (nitya), see TAK III 2013: 296–297; for occasional worship (naimittika), which “must be accomplished but not on a regular basis”, see Ibidem: 336–338; for optional worship (kāmya), which is “undertaken to attain desires”, see TAK II 2004: 88–89. 1052 TR, mk, 53, 46–59b: śrı̄vidyety aham ākhyātā śrı̄puraṃ me puraṃ bhavet | śrı̄cakraṃ me bhavec cakraṃ śrı̄kramaḥ syān mama kramaḥ || 46 || śrı̄sūktam etad bhūyān me vidyā śrı̄sọ ḍaśı̄ bhavet | mahālakṣmı̄ty ahaṃ khyātā tvattādātmyena saṃsthitā || 47 || tvaṃ caturdhā matsamı̄pe pūjāṃ prāpsyasi saṃsthitā | yad yat tava priyaṃ loke tan mamāpi priyaṃ bhavet || 48 || pūjyase bhārgave vāre bhaktais tvam suvidhānataḥ | tatrāham api pūjyā syāṃ bhaktair api viśeṣataḥ || 49 || tatra sūktabhavair mantraiḥ pūjitā hy upacārakaiḥ | hutāpi vividhair dravyaiḥ prasannā vāñchitārthadā || 50 || abhiṣiktā ca salilair dugdhādyaiḥ *phalajairasaiḥ (em. phalajair rasaiḥ) | sarvakāmapradā tasya yantre mūrtyādike’pi vā || 51 || nitye naimittike kāmye pūjane’nyatra cāpi me | lakṣmı̄sūktaṃ ṣoḍaśarcaṃ devyāḥ snānavidhau paṭhet || 52 || sakr̥dāvartanāl lakṣmı̄ḥ sadā tasya gr̥he vaset | pūjās ́aktau kevalaṃ vā *sūktante (em. Rao sūktaṃ taṃ) yaḥ paṭhet sadā || 53 || tasyākhilaṃ kr̥taṃ pūrṇaṃ bhavet tuṣtạ ̄ bhavāmy aham | vidyāpi tvatsamāyogād bhaviṣyati mama priyā || 54 || ahaṃ vidyātmikā yat tad bı̄jaṃ te sarvaśobhanam | pūrṇā tena samādiṣtạ ̄ mahāsŕ ı̄sọ ḍaśākṣarı̄ || 55 || upacāreṣu pūjāyā mantrān sūktabhavān paṭhet | sā pūjā syān mahāpūjā prasannāhaṃ tato drutam || 56 || sūkte’rtharūpā guptāhaṃ madbı̄jañ cāpi gopitam | pūrṇarūpā prārthitāhaṃ r̥sị bhiḥ pāvakāt pituḥ || 57 || nānyat priyataraṃ loke tvatsūktād bhavati kvacit | tvam ahaṃ devy ahaṃ tvañ ca nāvayor antaraṃ bhavet || 58 || ı̄kṣate yo’ntaraṃ tasya bhaveyuḥ paramāpadaḥ | 59ab. 1053 The content of this and of Chapters 55–58 to follow is analyzed and discussed in Part I, Chapter 4. 1054 It is to be noted that the cool season (śiśira) is missing, so that only five out of the six seasons of the year are mentioned. 1055 Parighā, “pitcher”, in verse 58a, should be emended to parikhā, “moat”, as in LU, 35, 61. 1056 As specified in Chapter 55, the five gods are Sadāsí va, Iś̄ a, Rudra, Hari and Vidhi. 1057 For more details and a comment on this ritual, see Part I Chapter 1. 1058 TR, mk, 55, 59c–61: iyaṃ parātparā devı̄ saccinmātrasvarūpiṇı ̄ || 59cd || ekāsı̄t sarvapurataḥ svātantryātmavidhāyinı̄ | na san nāsad abhinnaṃ vā vibhinnaṃ kimapi hy abhūt || 60 || sā svasvabhāvavibhavabhareṇaivāvabhāsayat | etajjagaccakracitraṃ svātmanyādarśal ı̄layā || 61 ||.

284  Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya 1059 The text provides etymological explanations for the names of these śaktis, whereas the names of the others are simply listed. 1060 The etymology of this name given in the text is aṅkurayati, from aṅkura (“shoot”); this is inconsistent with the name and should be emended as aṅkuśayati, from aṅkuśa (“goad”). 1061 The presence of Mantriṇı/ ̄ Mātaṅgı̄ and Daṇḍinı̄/Vārāhı̄ in the gold and emerald ramparts and, later on, of Vajreśvarı̄ in the diamond rampart, seems incongruous here, since the full description of the gem ramparts of the maṇidvı ̄pa, with their divine inhabitants, is given in Chapter 54. 1062 This may be the s ́akti created by Atirahasyā, mentioned at the end of Chapter 56. 1063 This eulogy is found in vv. 10–15b. 1064 Mitreśa, Ṣaṣth ̣ ı̄sá and Uḍḍıs̄ á are mentioned also in Chapter 48. 1065 See end of Chapter 52. 1066 Here kalā is probably to be understood as the “limited power to act. Usually the first of the evolutes of primal matter (māyā) and the tattva from which all the other evolutes directly or indirectly derive” (TAK II 2004: 68, for further information about this meaning of kalā see Ibidem: 68–69, 1.). 1067 TR, mk, 59, 87–107b: maṇikyaśekhara ṣrn ̥ ̣u sā devı̄ sarvataḥ parā | mahācitisvarūpā sā yasyāḥ prakr̥tidharmataḥ || 87 || brahmā viṣṇur haraś caiva pratyaṇḍaṃ guṇamūr tayaḥ | ı̄sv́ aro’pi tirodhānakaras triguṇajeśvaraḥ || 88 || tatrāpy anugrahakaraḥ sadāsí va itı̄ritaḥ | yasyā ı̄kṣaṇaleśenānugrahād akhilaṃ sr̥ jet || 89 || anādikālato māyāpāsí tān aṇusaṃghakān | anugrahān mocayituṃ sr̥ jaty eṣa maheśvaraḥ || 90 || na muktiḥ pralayasthānām aṇūnāṃ śūnyabhāvataḥ | dehabhāvaṃ samāpannā sr̥ s ̣t ̣au jñātuṃ prabhāvitāḥ || 91 || so’pi tasyā aṃsá bhūta iti sā sārarūpiṇı ̄ | sarvātmarūpā paramā citiśaktir udı̄ritā || 92 || saivāsty atra jagaccitrabhittidarpaṇasaṃmitā | sarvātmanā br̥ṃhaṇena brahmaśabdena śabditā || 93 || na strı̄ na *ṣaṇḍo (em. ṣaṇḍho) na pumāṃs tripurā ciccharı̄riṇı ̄ | avāṅmanasagamyā sā cetyanirmuktacinmayı̄ || 94 || sā tu saptadaśı ̄ nityā parameśvarasaṃsŕ ayā | dve kale tasya nāthasya kār yatā kartr̥teti ca || 95 || kār yāt syāt ṣoḍaśadhā kartr̥tā caikarūpiṇı ̄ | indriyāṇāṃ tu daśakaṃ bhūtānāṃ pañcakaṃ tathā || 96 || antaḥkaraṇam ity evaṃ kār yatā ṣoḍaśātmikā | kartr̥tā syāt saptadaśı ̄ kalā nityā maheśituḥ || 97 || sā ṣoḍaśāsŕ ayı̄bhūtā saṃvit sarvasya kāraṇam | tāṃ hitvā na śivaḥ kaścid brahmā vāpi sadāsí vaḥ || 98 || ı̄sv́ araḥ śivaviṣṇū vā brahmā vā devatāgaṇāḥ | narā nār yaḥ prāṇijātaṃ jaṅgamaṃ sthāvaraṃ tathā || 99 || prāṇavaccāprāṇakaṃ vā na kiñcid avaśiṣyate | bhūs ̣aṇeṣu svarṇam iva jalavat sāgarādiṣu || 100 || śūnyatvam iva cākāsé sparśavat syandavat pare | tejasy uṣṇaṃ yathā rūpaṃ jale spando raso yathā || 101 || pr̥thivyāṃ gandhakāt ḥ inye iva sā sarvataḥ sthitā | sā svābhāsitalı̄lātmalokoddharaṇahetunā || 102 || paraśrı̄cakranagarasāmrā­ jñı̄tvam adhiṣt ̣hitā | jātā vayaṃ tadaṅgebhyo vāk śrı̄ gaurı̄ samāhvayāḥ || 103 || kālı̄ krodhāt samutpannā mahākālena saṃyutā | vacanāt tu tathā jātā tārā bhairavasaṃyutā || 104 || parākramāt samudbhūtā durgā durgatināsí nı̄ | krauryāt pratyaṅgirodbhūtā mahāsá rabhasaṃyutā || 105 || śauryāj jātā śūlinı̄ ca mālinı̄ vāksamudbhavā | caṇḍikā caṇdaśabdena dhūmrā krūrekṣaṇena ca || 106 || evaṃ sarvās tadaṅgotthā na hi kācit tataḥ parā | 107ab. 1068 See Chapter 55. 1069 See Lalitā’s epithet 107 in the LTS: “her feet worshipped by [the goddess] Aśvārūḍhā” (hayārūdḥ āsevitāṅghriḥ, Eng. trans. in Sanderson 2017: 20); see also epithet 67: “surrounded by countless horses led by Aśvārūḍhā” (LSN, 2, 25cd: aśvārūdḥ ādhiṣtḥ itās ́vakoṭikoṭibhir āvtā, Eng. trans. quoted in Ibidem: note 37). 1070 The army of Lalitā is extensively described in LU, 16–18. 1071 For details on the encounter of Bālā and Bhaṇḍa on the battlefield, see Part I, Chapter 3.

Māhātmyakhaṇḍa of the Tripurārahasya  285 1072 The defeat of Durmada and Kuraṇḍa are related also in LU, 22. 1073 See epithet 197 in the LTS, Lakuleśvarı̄, interpreted by Sanderson as referring to Nakulı̄sv́ arı̄/Nakulı̄ (see Sanderson 2017: 27–28, note 60). 1074 Suparṇa may indicate either a large bird of prey, or the mythical bird Garuḍa (see MW 1227c); here it probably stands for Garuḍa, traditionally regarded as enemy of the serpents. 1075 This episode is related also in LU, 23. 1076 This episode is related also in LU, 24. 1077 These incidents are also related in LU, 25–26. 1078 TR, mk, 71, 38–41: nirmame tad vighnakaraṃ yantraṃ dārṣadapaṭtạ ke | snātvā śucividhānena yantram ālikhya tad drutam || 38 || sampūjya tatra devı̄ṃ tām āsurı̄ṃ vighnakāriṇı ̄m | surāmāmṣ opahārādyair nivedya vividhais tadā || 39 || svayaṃ digvasano bhūtvā śmaśānabhasitās ́rayaḥ | papau surāṃ karoṭı ̄sthāṃ vāmamārgasamāsŕ ayaḥ || 40 || jajāpa japyaṃ kaikasyā mālayā dakṣadiṅmukhaḥ | samantānnagnayuvatı̄gaṇena parivāritaḥ || 41 ||. 1079 The episode of the vighnayantra also occurs in LU, 27, 35c–53, where the ritual consecration of the yantra differs from that described in the TR. 1080 The episode related to Gaṇeśa and Gajāsura also occurs in LU, 27, 67ff. 1081 The defeat of Bhaṇḍa’s sons by Bālā is related in LU, 26. 1082 The defeat of Viśukra and Viṣaṅga by Mantrinı̄ and Daṇḍinı̄ are related also in LU, 28. 1083 For more details on the content of this chapter, see Part I, Chapter 3. 1084 The speech of Bhaṇḍa is quoted, translated and commented in Ibidem. 1085 The final battle in which Bhaṇdạ and Lalitā are opposed is described in LU, 29. 1086 After her victory over Bhaṇḍa, Lalitā is also eulogized by the gods in LU, 30, 1–42. 1087 TR, mk, 78, 2–6: jaya jaya lalitāmba tvatpadāmbhojasevā phalam iha bhajatāṃ kiṃ kinna dadyād abhı̄sṭ ạ m | vibudhaviṭapimukhyān kāmadān svasvabhāvān api vitarati bhūyaḥ saṃs ́ritebhyo’tiśı ̄ghram || 2 || vayam iha vipadārttā bhaṇdạ daityapratāpānalajaṭilakarālajvālayā dagdha­ pakṣāḥ | aparimitabhayābdhau yan nimagnāḥ sametā jhaṭiti nanu tayaiva proddhatā vyomamārgāḥ || 3 || praṇatajananitāntasvāntasantāpahantrı̄ śritajanaduritāliprauḍhamāyāniyan­ trı̄ | sthiracaranikhilodyatprānị nāṃ jı̄vatantrı̄ tava padanalinı̄yaṃ praidhate lokayantrı̄ || 4 || tava janani vilāsaḥ sarvalokāvabhāsaḥ kuta iha tava bhūyād daityayuddhe prayāsaḥ | bhavatu satatam asman mānase nı̄rajaske viśadavikacavr̥ttau vāsite vāsanābhiḥ || 5 || cirajaḍamilitānāṃ yo vivekaikahetur bhavati | caraṇahaṃsas tāvako brahmavāhaḥ || 6 || 1088 TR, mk, 79, 54–58: loke’py aśaktaḥ kutrāpi na pūjyaḥ syāt tu bhārgava | āsŕ ayatvācchivamr̥te śaktir naiva tu vidyate || 54 || iti cen nijasattātmaśaktihı̄naḥ śivas tathā | prakāsá śaktihı̄no vai raviḥ kutra kadā bhavet || 55 || yathā tathā citiṃ śaktimr̥te syād vai śivaḥ katham | citiśaktyā parityaktaṃ tr̥ṇaṃ vāpi kathaṃ bhavet || 56 || satyāṃ (em. satyaṃ) citi hy *asmi (em. asti) sarvam anyathā na hi kiñcana | yad asti tac citir iti jānı̄hi bhr̥gunandana || 57 || etac chāktaṃ hi vijñānaṃ matto’nyan na hi vidyate | evaṃ buddhyā tu yat kiñcit tr̥ṇañ ca tripurātmakam || 58 ||. 1089 The content of this chapter is discussed in Part I, Chapter 1.

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290 Bibliography The Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa, Eng. trans., notes by F. E. Pargiter, Bibliotheca Indica, a Collection of Oriental Works published by the Asiatic Society of Bengal, Calcutta 1904, Indological Book House, Varanasi-Delhi 1981. Mokṣopāyaṭı ̄kā (MUṬ) Bhāskarakaṇtḥ a’s Mokṣopāya-Ṭ ı ̄kā/A Commentary on the Earliest Available Recension of the Yogavāsiṣtḥ a. I Vairāgyaprakaraṇam, revised ed. in Devanāgari Script by J. Hanneder, W. Slaje, Shaker Verlag, Aachen 2002. Yogavāsiṣtḥ a (YV) The Yogavāsiṣtḥ a of Vālmı ̄ki with the Commentary Vāsiṣtḥ amahārāmāyaṇatātparyaprakāsá , Wāsudeva Laxmāṇa Śāstrı̄ Paṇsı́ k̄ ar (ed.) (1911), revised and re-edited by Nārāyaṇa Rāma Ā chārya, Nı̄rṇaya Sāgar Press, Bombay 1937. Sept récits initiatiques tirés du Yoga-Vasistha, Fr. trans., intr., notes by M. Hulin, Berg International, Paris 1987. Yoginı ̄hṛdaya (YH) Yoginı ̄hṛdayam amṛtānandayogikṛtadı ̄pikayā bhāṣan̄ uvādena ca sahitam. Anuvādakaḥ saṃpadakaś ca Vrajavallabhadvivedaḥ, Motilal Banarsidass, Delhi 1988. Padoux, André, Le coeur de la yoginı ̄/Yoginı ̄hṛdaya avec le commentaire Dı ̄pikā d’Amṛtānanda, Publications de l’Institut de Civilisation Indienne, Fasc. 63, Diffusion de Boccard, Paris 1994. The Heart of the Yoginı ̄/The Yoginı ̄hṛdaya, a Sanskrit Tantric Treatise, intr., Eng. trans., comm. by A. Padoux with R.-O. Jeanty, Oxford University Press, Oxford 2013. Rāmāyaṇa (RĀ ) The Vālmı ̄ki-Rāmāyaṇa, crit. ed. by a board of editors and referees, Oriental Institute, Baroda 1960. Le Rāmāyaṇa de Vālmı ̄ki, M. Biardeau, M.-C. Porcher (eds.), Gallimard, Paris 1999. Rudrayāmala (RY) Rudrayāmalam (Uttaratantram), ed. pref. by Ram Kumar Rai, Krishnadas Sanskrit Series 86, Krishnadas Academy, Varanasi 1986. Lakṣmı ̄tantra (LT) Lakṣmı ̄-Tantra/A Pāñcarātra Ā gama, ed., Skt. gloss., intr. by V. Krishnamacharya (1959), The Adyar Library and Reasearch Centre, The Adyar Library Series Vol. 87, Adyar, Madras, Reprint 1975. Lakṣmı ̄ Tantra/A Pāñcarātra Text, Eng. trans., intr., notes by S. Gupta, E. J. Brill, Leiden 1972. Lalitātriśatı ̄stotra (LTS) Sanderson, Alexis (ed.), “The Smārta Śāktism of South India. Lalitātriśatı ̄stotra. The Hymn of the Three Hundred Epithets of the Goddess Lalitā. Edited with a brief introduction, an annotated English translation, and an appendix containing the Nāmāval ı ̄”, 2017. Lalitāsahasranāma (LSN) Lalitāsahasranāma (of the Second Part of Brahmāṇḍapurāṇa) With the Saubhāgya-Bhāskara Bhāṣya of Bhāskararāya, revised by Wāsudev Laxman Śāstrı̄ Paṇsí kar, Nirṇaya-sāgar Press, Bombay 1935. Mantraśāstra/Lalitā-Sahasranāman, with Bhāskararāya’s Commentary, Eng. trans. by R. Ananthakrishna Sastry (1951), The Theological Publishing House, Adyar, Madras 1976. Liṅgapurāṇa (LPur) The Liṅga-Purāṇa, Eng. trans. by a board of scholars, Vols. I–II, Motilal Banarsidass, Delhi 1973.

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Index of the Translated Passages and Stotras1

Pages followed by n refer notes. AS, 17, 41d-46: 140–141 ̄ *IPK, I, 1, 2: 158 ̄ *IPK, I, 1, 3: 153 ̄ *IPK, I, 5, 7: 121 ̄ *IPK, I, 5, 10: 103 ̄ *IPK, I, 5, 11: 103 ̄ *IPK, I, 5, 11 vṛtti: 103 ̄ *IPK, I, 5, 14: 104 ̄ *IPK, I, 5, 14 vṛtti: 104 ̄ *IPK, I, 8, 7: 117 ̄ *IPK, II, 4, 19, vṛtti: 120 ̄ *IPK, IV, 1: 105 ṚjuVi on NṢA, 4, 18-19: 36n104 KaT, 4, 108c-110a: 81 KaT, 6, 13-15: 81 *KKV, 36: 81 *KKV, 37-38: 50n214 TĀ , I, 52: 103 TĀ , I, 156: 164 TĀ , III, 3-4: 118 TĀ , III, 44 and comm.: 127 TĀ , III, 46 and comm.: 127 TĀ , III, 65 and comm.: 121 TĀ , III, 203c-204b: 106 TĀ , III, 280: 127 *TĀ , VI, 34-35: 144 TĀ , XIII, 103-105: 168–169 TR, jk, 1, 1: 117 TR, jk, 7, 90c-91c: 102 TR, jk, 9, 86c-88: 158 TR, jk, 9, 94-95b: 159 TR, jk, 11, 44c-45: 102 TR, jk, 11, 73c--79b: 123–124 TR, jk, 18, 123-124b, 127c-129b: 164 TR, jk, 19, 31ab: 166 TR, jk, 20, 22c-28: 168 TR, jk, 20, 46-47b: 168

TR, jk, 22, 98: 127 TR, jk, 22, 100-103: 127 TR, jk, 22, 104c-105: 165 TR, jk, 22, colophon: 2 TR, mk, 1, 1-4: 180 TR, mk, 1, 1cd: 110 TR, mk, 1, 2, 3d: 101 TR, mk, 1, 3bc: 105 TR, mk, 1, 4: 64n254 TR, mk, 1, 5ab, 11cd: 13n66 TR, mk, 1, 42c-51b: 18 TR, mk, 1, 56c-59b: 143 TR, mk, 1, 61-70 (stotra): 180–181 TR, mk, 1, 66ab: 102 TR, mk, 1, 67ab: 108 TR, mk, 1, 67a, cd: 107 TR, mk, 1, 68ab: 112n511 TR, mk, 1, 68cd: 43 TR, mk, 1, 96: 13n64 TR, mk, 2, 25c-33: 182 TR, mk, 2, 25c-26b, 27: 101 TR, mk, 2, 30: 173n740 TR, mk, 2, 32-33: 171n710 TR, mk, 2, 90-91b: 2 TR, mk, 3, 5-9: 183 TR, mk, 4, 13c-16: 184 TR, mk, 4, 29-33: 184–185 TR, mk, 4, 51-58: 151 TR, mk, 5, 1: 14n70 TR, mk, 5, 79: 12n29 TR, mk, 6, 1-10: 186 TR, mk, 6, 66c-73b: 186–187 TR, mk, 6, 66cd, 68-71b: 102 TR, mk, 6, 71-73b: 152 TR, mk, 7, 9c-10b: 173n754 TR, mk, 8, 2-9 (stotra): 188 TR, mk, 8, 12-19 (stotra): 188–189

1  An asterisk (*) precedes those passages translated by scholars other than the author.

Index of the Translated Passages and Stotras  297 TR, mk, 8, 22-29 (stotra): 189–190 TR, mk, 8, 26: 47 TR, mk, 8, 32-45: 190–191 TR, mk, 8, 36-37: 48 TR, mk, 9, 33-44 (stotra): 191–192 TR, mk, 9, 37a, c: 144 TR, mk, 9, 37c: 110 TR, mk, 9, 38ab: 106 TR, mk, 9, 39: 107 TR, mk, 9, 40: 144 TR, mk, 9, 41ab: 102 TR, mk, 9, 42cd: 106 TR, mk, 9, 51-66 (stotra): 192–193 TR, mk, 9, 52ab: 106 TR, mk, 9, 53b: 108 TR, mk, 9, 57: 171n710 TR, mk, 9, 87-95b: 194 TR, mk, 9, 87: 111n495 TR, mk, 9, 88: 105 TR, mk, 9, 89-93: 145 TR, mk, 9, 94: 170n695 TR, mk, 10, 111c-114b: 46–47 TR, mk, 10, 116-121 (stotra): 195–196 TR, mk, 10, 116c: 110 TR, mk, 10, 118: 108 TR, mk, 10, 119, 120cd: 43 TR, mk, 10, 120ab: 108–109 TR, mk, 12, 2-6 (stotra): 197 TR, mk, 12, 53c-58b (stotra): 198 TR, mk, 12, 57c-58b: 64n256 TR, mk, 12, 63c-64a: 64n257 TR, mk, 13, 3-5: 53 TR, mk, 21, 78-83 (stotra): 201 TR, mk, 21, 82: 64n259 TR, mk, 24, 50c-54b: 23 TR, mk, 25, 1-12b: 203 TR, mk, 25, 17-25 (stotra): 204 TR, mk, 26, 11-25 (stotra): 205–206 TR, mk, 28, 9-22b (stotra): 207–208 TR, mk, 29, 24-28 (stotra): 209 TR, mk, 30, 17-28 (stotra): 210–211 TR, mk, 30, 17cd, 21: 106 TR, mk, 30, 18: 109 TR, mk, 30, 19cd: 113n516 TR, mk, 30, 20: 116 TR, mk, 30, 22-23: 153 TR, mk, 30, 24cd, 26: 43 TR, mk, 30, 24-27: 154 TR, mk, 39, 47d-55: 138–139 TR, mk, 40, 11-21 (stotra): 217–219 TR, mk, 40, 11a: 135 TR, mk, 40, 12bc, 13ac: 135–136 TR, mk, 40, 14ac: 136 TR, mk, 40, 15ac: 137 TR, mk, 40, 16ac: 137

TR, mk, 40, 17c: 137 TR, mk, 43, 78-82 (stotra): 221 TR, mk, 44, 33-40b: 222 TR, mk, 44, 69-76 (stotra): 223 TR, mk, 46, 77-83 (stotra): 225 TR, mk, 46, 80-81: 108 TR, mk, 46, 93-98b (stotra): 226 TR, mk, 47, 22: 280n1021 TR, mk, 49, 9-11: 103 TR, mk, 49, 9-16: 228 TR, mk, 49, 13-14: 104 TR, mk, 49, 15-16: 36n84 TR, mk, 51, 39-62: 229–231 TR, mk, 51, 67-74 (stotra): 231–232 TR, mk, 51, 68ab: 105 TR, mk, 51, 71c-73: 154 TR, mk, 51, 76-83 (stotra): 232 TR, mk, 51, 76c: 102 TR, mk, 51, 77-80: 115 TR, mk, 51, 83: 51n221 TR, mk, 53, 46-59b: 234–235 TR, mk, 54, 52d-53: 74 TR, mk, 55, 57ab, 59c-61: 283n1058 TR, mk, 55, 59cd: 102 TR, mk, 55, 59c-61: 128n550, 238 TR, mk, 59, 87-107b: 243–244 TR, mk, 59, 87bc: 102 TR, mk, 59, 92, 94: 104 TR, mk, 59, 93ab: 116 TR, mk, 59, 94ab: 62 TR, mk, 59, 102c-103b: 89–90 TR, mk, 60, 100-102b: 60 TR, mk, 64, 52c-53b: 60 TR, mk, 71, 38-41: 250 TR, mk, 74, 21c-22b: 61 TR, mk, 77, 17c-26: 61 TR, mk, 77, 60-61c: 62 TR, mk, 78, 2-6 (stotra): 253–254 TR, mk, 78, 19cd: 98n468 TR, mk, 79, 54-58: 255 TR, mk, 79, 54c-56b: 104 TR, mk, 79, 56c-58: 105 TR, mk, 80, colophon: 2 *DBhPur, III, 6, 2-4, 7ab: 112n506 NU on PKS, 3, 10: 93n395 NṢA, 1, 130-149b: 43–44 NṢA, 4, 4-5: 258n842 NṢA, 4, 9c-12b: 258n842 NṢA, 4, 16, 18c-19b: 258n842 PT, 24c-25b: 107 *PS, 12-13: 131n592 *PS, 39-40: 152 *PS, 60 and comm.: 158 *PS, 61: 152 *BāPur, 3, 39, 27: 262n855

298  Index of the Translated Passages and Stotras *BVPur, 3, 54: 264n869 BhG, 4, 29: 170n698 *MU, 3, 28, 12-13: 126 *MU, 6, 4, 8: 166 *MU, 6, 337, 56: 125 YV, 3, 101, 35: 125 YV, 3, 109, 25: 124–125 YV, 4, 10, 50: 170n695 YV, 4, 11, 9: 125 YV, 4, 11, 23: 125 YV, 6, 110, 29: 161 *YH, 1, 9c-10b: 81 *YH, 1, 36: 274n979 *YH, 1, 36-40: 262n861 *YH, 1, 53: 44–45 *YH, 1, 55: 42, 71 *YH, 1, 56-57ac: 116 *YH, 2, 74c: 108 *YH, 2, 75: 113n516 *YH, 2, 76ab: 114n547 *YH, 3, 112c-113a: 87 *YH, 3, 114cd: 83 *YH, 3, 125ab: 94n415

*YH, 3, 194cd: 31 *YH, 3, 202cd: 111n503 LU, 15, 34c-35: 56 LU, 35, 2cd, 3c-5: 73–74 LU, 35, 35c-36: 75 LU, 35, 64-69: 76 *LU, 39, 14ab: 58 LU, 39, 66-67: 56 LT, 23, 18d, 19c, 20cd : 141 *LT, 23, 21-29, 34 : 141–142 *LTS, 34cd: 41n196 *VBT, 61-62: 160 *VBT, 75: 159 *VBT, 135: 165 ŚD, VII, 87cd: 164 *ŚSV, I, 4: 135 *SK, 17: 159 *SL, 8: 90n339 *SL, 21a: 93n384 *SL. 24: 262n861 *SL, 56ab: 109 SHS, 4: 107

General Index

Pages followed by n refer notes. ābhāsa 115, 117, 135; ābhāsavāda 115, 117, 127, 134 abhaya-mudrā 42, 45–46, 71, 78, 143 Abhinavagupta 6, 8, 103, 106, 113, 117, 121, 127, 129, 131–132, 135, 144–145, 147, 152, 157, 165, 271 ācāra 18, 20, 22 ācārya 28–29, 142; ādyācār ya 227 acosmism 9, 119, 125, 161, 169 adhvan 144; bhuvanādhvan 144; deśādhvan 145; kalādhvan 144–145; mantrādhvan 144; padādhvan 144; s ̣aḍadhvan 143–144, 194; tattvādhvan 144; varṇādhvan 144 Advaita Vedānta 1, 6, 10 Ā gama 104, 139, 143, 255, 258 Agastya 13, 26–27, 59, 181, 227–228, 233–234, 244, 251, 254, 256 Agni 26–27, 48, 142, 187, 191, 193, 199, 215, 227 aham 105–106, 281; ahaṃ kāra 30, 73–75, 84, 236 Ahirbudhnyasaṃ hitā 8 ākās ́a 119–120, 195 akṣara 25 Alarka 4–5, 182 Ambikā 96, 188, 263, 274 amnāya 76, 237 amṛta 54, 70, 73, 75, 77, 80 Amṛtānanda 111n503, 114n547, 258n842 aṃ śa 4, 11, 29, 47, 77, 196, 217, 220, 238, 256 Anaṅga 57, 65 Aṅgiras 4, 28–29, 69, 185, 191, 197, 207, 229, 231, 233 aṅkuśa 42, 284 anugraha 155, 157

Aparā 46 ardhanarı ̄śvara 80, 136 ās ́rama 5, 184 Ā treya, B. L. 124–125 avadhūta 5, 185 Avalon, A. 258n842 āvaraṇadevatā 31 avatāra 4, 253 Bālā 9, 13, 18, 35–36, 43, 46, 60–61, 143, 180, 182, 245–247, 249–252, 258, 270, 284–285 bat ̣uka 33, 236, 245, 251, 257; Bat ̣uka 21; bat ̣ukabhairava 252 Being 108, 121, 125, 128, 181, 238, 265 bhadramaṇḍala 33 bhairava 32–33, 72–73, 236, 252, 257; Bhairava 244, 252 bhakti 43, 56; dveṣabhakti 63 Bhaṇḍa 2, 6, 18, 28, 49, 59–64, 68–70, 89, 153, 226, 228–229, 233, 242–247, 249–253, 270, 281, 284–285 Bhāratı̄ 194, 216–217, 219 Bhāskararāya 24, 27, 29, 37n129, 70, 92n373, 258n842, 263n863 bhāvanā 27, 31, 117, 122 Bhavānı̄ 205, 209–210 Bhrāmarı̄ 180, 227, 258 Bhṛgu 183, 255 bhukti 27, 86 bhuvana 145, 194–195 bı̄ja 25–26, 234; bı ̄jamantra 182–183, 207, 221–222, 227, 229 bimba fruit 44, 53, 190; original image 117, 120 bindu 86–88, 97, 140, 239, 263; binducakra 31, 77, 88, 97, 241, 256

300  General Index brahman 18, 22, 47, 101, 110, 112, 125, 180, 189, 191, 195, 217, 243 brāhman 4–5, 149, 162, 182–185, 215–216, 256–257, 268 Brahmāṇḍapurāṇa 6 Bṛhaspati 191, 207, 244, 254 Brunner, H. 19 buddhi 30, 73–74, 84, 165, 236, 260 Bühnemann, G. 32–33 cakra 19, 29, 40, 42, 48, 50, 80–86, 88, 94–95, 241, 256; cakranāyaka 33–34, 257; Cakrarāja chariot 77; cakrarājaratha 89, 252; cakreśvarı ̄ 88 Caṇḍikā 194, 220–222, 244, 279 Candra 26–27, 227 caryā 3, 18, 20, 22, 36, 183; caryākhaṇḍa 2, 35 Charyānātha 242 cintāmaṇi 238; cintāmaṇigṛha 28, 69, 76–80, 83, 88, 236–237 cit 29, 90, 116, 119; cicchakti 36, 103–105, 111, 187, 192, 228; cidagni 30, 242; cidākās ́a 119–120; cidvahni 29, 77; cidvyoman 119; cinmudrā 48, 190; citi 103, 111, 129, 228 Coburn, T. B. 278n1001 Dakṣiṇāmnāya 1, 77, 80 Daṇḍinı̄ 61, 248–252, 284–285 Devı ̄bhāgavatapurāṇa 69 Devı ̄māhātmya 29, 43 dhyāna 80 dı ̄kṣā 17, 19–22, 27; nirvāṇadı ̄kṣā 19, 144; samayadı ̄kṣā 20; tattvadıkṣā ̄ 19; tritattvadıksā ̄ 19; vedhadı ̄kṣā 20–21 dream 22–24, 60, 123–126, 128, 143, 181, 203–204, 215–216, 245, 262n862 Durgā 7, 29, 48–49, 59, 182, 194, 224–226, 244, 278n1001 Durvāsas 26–27 Gandhamādana 9–10, 14n68, 185 Gaṇeśa 21, 32–33, 59, 61, 73, 183, 229, 250–251, 256 Gaṅgā 202, 215 Gaurı̄ 30, 55, 71, 194, 200–202, 206–216, 220, 227, 229, 244 Gāyatrı̄ 135, 138–143, 145, 217, 219 Golovkova, A. 51n217 Goudriaan, T. 13n48 guṇa 33, 237; guṇatraya 32–33, 257; ṣaḍguṇa 141 Gupta, S. 29, 31, 56 guru 4, 18, 20–22, 29, 33, 86–87, 152, 156, 180–183, 185–186, 191, 197, 200, 233, 242, 254–255, 257

Hādimata 22–24, 36n105, 40n179 Hālāsya (Madurai) 9, 182 Hanneder, J. 7–8, 119–120, 124–125, 150, 158, 166 Hardy, F. 58 Hatley, S. 40n190 Hayagrı̄va 59, 206, 228, 233–235, 242, 244, 251, 254 Himālaya god 206–207, 209–213; mount 201, 210, 229 Hulin, M. 10, 13n63, 169, 172n729 icchā 46, 77–78, 121, 195; icchās ́akti 45, 78, 84, 86 idealism pure 124, 128; realistic 1, 8, 119, 127–128, 161, 169 illusionism 9, 120, 124, 128, 161, 169 immanence 105–107, 109 Island of Jewels 28, 69–71, 77, 79–82, 89, 235, 237 Iś̄ vara 47, 77, 84, 238, 244 Iś̄ varapratyabhijñākārikā 103 itihāsa 7–8 japa 31, 34, 41n199, 97n462 Jayaratha 36n105, 106, 118, 121, 127 jıvanmukta ̄ 5, 149, 152, 160–161, 163, 165–169; jıvanmukti ̄ 64, 82, 128, 149–153, 157, 161, 166 jñāna 46, 77–78, 121, 183, 195; jñānakhaṇḍa 2, 10; jñānaśakti 45, 78, 86 Jñānārṇavatantra 26 Jyeṣt ̣hā 86, 188, 197, 258n842, 262n862 Kādimata 22–25, 75 Kailāsa 70, 213, 215, 227, 229 kalā: divine Energy 107, 154, 192, 205, 208, 231–232, 262n862; limitative power 106, 137, 210, 244; lunar digit 24, 87, 208, 237, 239; part 237 Kālı̄ 7, 72, 87, 194, 208, 220–223, 235, 244 Kālikāpurāṇa 54 kāmakalā 88, 97n461, 205, 272n944 Kāmakalāvilāsa 27 Kāmākṣı ̄ 6, 9, 13n45, 26, 45–46, 53, 55–56, 58–59, 82, 204, 214, 227 Kāmarāja 22, 25–26 Kāmeśvara 28–29, 33–34, 51n217, 57–58, 62, 70, 77, 79, 81, 86–88, 204, 210–211, 227, 233, 237–239, 241, 244, 250, 257, 271n932; Kāmeśvarı̄ 13, 45, 56, 86–87, 96n439–96n440, 204–205, 238–239, 241, 249, 271n932

General Index  301 kāmya rite 31, 34, 87 Kāñcı̄puram 1, 6, 9, 227–228 Kandarpa 222, 236 Kāpālika 1, 5–6 karman past actions 9, 21, 165, 181; ritual 31, 35, 162, 256 Kātyāyanı̄ 194, 217, 219–220, 278n1001 Kavirāj, G. 10 kāvya 7, 45 Khanna, M. 13n45, 21, 31, 40n179, 111n503 kriyā 46, 77–78, 104, 121, 183, 195; kriyās ́akti 45, 78, 86, 116, 195; nityakriyā 256 kṣatriya 149–150, 156, 161, 183 Kṣemarāja 6, 109, 115, 135, 159 Kula 81, 208; Kulamārga 1, 78, 80 Kulārṇavatantra 80 kumārı ̄ girl 33, 257; Kumārı̄ goddess 194–195, 202, 227–228, 241 kuṇḍalinı ̄ 84–85, 97n461, 136; kuṇḍalinı ̄yoga 31 Kurukullā 74–75, 236 kūt ̣a 242, 295 Lakṣmı̄ 23–26, 46, 49, 53–59, 61–62, 71, 141, 196–198, 200–206, 211, 214, 216, 227, 234, 241, 243–244; Ā dilakṣmı̄ 56, 58; Lakṣmı̄sū kta 234; Mahālakṣmı̄ 25, 46, 227, 234, 240–241 Lakṣmı ̄tantra 8 Lalitāmāhātmya 2, 6, 226 Lalitāsahasranāma 6 Lalitātrisá tı ̄stotra 6 Lalitopakhyāna 6 lı ̄lā 110, 115, 155 liṅga 33, 213–214 Lopāmudrā 22, 26–27, 227, 234, 254, 256 madhyamā 84, 134–136, 139, 242 mahādevı ̄ 26 Mahākāla 72, 91n355, 222–223, 235, 244 mahāpadmāt ̣avı ̄ 75–76, 237 māhātmyakhaṇḍa 2, 258 Mahātripurasundarı̄ 21, 81–83, 87–88, 238–239, 241, 252 Mahāvidyās 73–74 Maheśvara 76, 78, 104–105, 159, 214, 227, 243–244 Mahiṣa 63; Mahiṣāsura 224–225 mala 8, 21, 164; āṇavamala 164 Malaya 9, 180, 227 manas 30, 73, 84, 236

maṇḍala 21, 33; navayoni maṇḍala 20–21, 33, 36n99; sarvatobhadra maṇḍala 32–33 maṇidvıpa ̄ 69–72, 75–77, 79–81, 89, 233, 235 Manmatha 26–27, 56, 227 mantra 1, 17–19, 21–22, 24, 26–29, 32–34, 44, 60, 73, 75, 80, 85, 87, 107, 140–142, 144–145, 194, 199, 207, 225, 230, 234, 242, 246, 249–250, 255–257; fifteen-syllable mantra 23, 203, 205, 234; mūlamantra 21, 34; sixteen-syllable mantra 21, 24–25, 234 Mantriṇı ̄ 60–61, 72, 77, 235, 245–253 Manu 26–27, 227 Mātaṅgı̄ 235, 241, 245 mātṛkā alphabet goddess 142–143; Mother-Energy of the phonemes 135; phoneme 135 māyā 19, 43, 55, 62, 108–109, 117, 168, 186, 189, 193, 196, 208, 210, 219, 225, 231, 243, 252 Meru 69–70, 77, 82, 89, 223, 227, 233, 235, 238, 242, 254 Mı̄nākṣı ̄ 9, 182–183 Mitreśa 86–87, 96n439, 227, 242 mokṣa 27, 62, 155, 255, 257 Mokṣopāya 7 Moon 50n214, 75–78, 97n461, 206, 208, 222, 236–237, 257 mudrā deity 83–86, 239–240; grain 74; ritual hand-gesture 18, 42, 45–46, 48, 71, 78, 143, 190, 239–240 mūrti 30, 32, 77, 155, 203, 226, 238, 256 nāda 85, 134, 140 naimittika rite 31, 34, 206 Nārada 3–4, 59–60, 182–183, 199, 201–202, 206–207, 210, 212, 216, 243–245 Nārāyaṇa 201, 207, 217; Nārāyaṇı ̄ 198, 210 nātha 75, 87, 242 nimeṣa 109 Niśumbha 49, 220–221 Nityā goddesses 1, 51n217, 53, 70, 75, 87–88, 233, 239, 242–243, 249 nityapūjā 20, 31, 35 Nityāsọ ḍaśı ̄kārṇava 1 Nityotsava 48 non-dualism 1, 6, 8, 17, 105, 145 nyāsa 19, 22, 31, 34, 80, 141 ogha 87, 242 Olivelle, P. 3

302  General Index pada 144–145, 194 paddhati 20, 48 Padmā 54, 197, 201–202 Padoux, A. 6, 23, 26, 42, 71, 82, 103, 111n503, 135, 143, 169 pancabrahmāsana 88, 239 pañcadaśākṣarı ̄ 22–26, 234 pañcamakāra 29, 34, 74 Pāñcarātra 8, 38n162, 48, 140–143 para form 29, 154 Parā goddess 9, 46, 48, 143; parā vāc 134–135, 242 Paramārthasāra 152 Parāparā 46 Paraśurāmakalpasūtra 1 pariṇāmavāda 107 parivāradevatā 31, 256 Pārvatı̄ 7, 55, 59, 196, 205, 209, 212– 213, 215–216, 227, 229, 278n1001 pās ́a bond 19, 22; noose 42, 48 Paścı ̄māmnāya 77, 80 Paśupati 77, 195 paśyantı ̄ 134–135, 139, 242 pauruṣa 156–158 pı ̄t ̣ha pedestal 213; sacred place 55, 86, 96n439, 208; throne 32–33, 77, 257 prakās ́a 29, 74, 88, 103–106, 116, 120, 236 praṇava 101, 140–141 prasāda divine favour 157, 166; temple 32 pratibimba 87, 117, 217 pratimā 32, 256–257 Pratyabhijñā school 1, 6, 8, 17, 103, 105, 117, 121–122, 124, 127–128, 142, 149, 153, 158, 161, 163–164, 169; pratyabhijñā term 152–153 Pratyabhijñāhṛdaya 115 pūjā 17, 27, 29–32, 39n173, 40n179, 60, 75, 81–82, 255, 257 Puṇyānanda 27 Purāṇa 63, 79, 139 Pūr vāmnāya 77, 80 puryaṣt ̣aka 84–85 rahasya 18, 20 Rājarājeśvarı̄ 69, 237–238 Rāma 4, 149, 166, 184 Ramā 189, 194, 196–197, 202–203, 241 Rati 56–57, 75, 206, 214, 227, 236 Ratié, I. 121–122, 131n593 ratnadvıpa ̄ 70, 237 Raudrı̄ 86, 188, 258n842, 262n862 Reality 101, 103, 105, 108, 115, 117, 119, 125, 127, 134, 157, 160, 162

Rudra 3, 34, 47, 70, 73, 77–78, 80, 182, 188, 195, 198, 201, 212, 238, 257, 260 rūpa 20, 25, 29, 102, 154, 194–195, 233 Sadāśiva 3, 47–48, 77–78, 80, 182, 185, 188, 200, 214, 222, 238, 243–244 sādhaka 5, 74, 127, 255; sādhana 18, 22, 162, 255 Śaiva 1, 3, 6, 8–9, 17, 33, 78, 104–106, 145, 166, 168–169; Śaivism 8, 161, 164, 169 Śākta 1–3, 9, 33, 53, 105, 109, 127, 142, 149, 157, 169, 211, 255; Śākta-Śaiva 9, 29; Śākta Śaivism 80 sālokya 63, 78–79, 87, 214, 242 samādhi 153, 162–163, 166–167; nirvikalpa samādhi 163, 251 Śambhu 187, 207, 214 saṃ hitā 2, 8, 142 sāmıpya ̄ 63, 78–79 Sāṃ khya 79, 107, 139 Saṃ nyāsa Upaniṣad 5 saṃ nyāsin 5, 255 saṃ pradāya 20–21, 45 saṃ sāra 73, 86, 135, 236 Saṃ varta 4–5, 149–151, 153, 155, 184–185, 254 saṃ vid 103, 228 Sanderson, A. 6, 9, 17, 46, 80, 143 Śaṅkara 26, 77, 189, 191, 199–200, 214; Śaṅkarı̄ 138, 191, 217–218, 221 Śaṅkarācharyas 1 Sarasvatı̄ 7, 46, 56, 69, 143, 196, 201–203, 205, 211, 216, 219 sārṣt ̣i 78–79 sārūpya 63, 78–79, 87 Ṣaṣt ̣hı̄śa 86–87, 227, 242 s ́āstra 7, 187, 254 s ́āstrāvatāra 3, 6, 9, 180 Satı̄ 206 satkār yavāda 107 sattarka 156–157 saubhāgya 45, 205, 235; Saubhāgyahṛdayastotra 107; Sau bhāgyanavaratnastotra 205; saubhāgyasaṃ pradāya 45; Saubh āgyās ̣t ̣ottaraśatanāmastotra 205; saubhāgyavidyā 205 saumya 26, 59, 63 Sāvitrı̄ 216–217 sāyujya 25, 32, 63, 79, 87, 155, 234, 241–242, 256–257; sāyujyamukti 153 Schier, K. 55 Shulman, D. 63

General Index  303 siddha 87, 242; siddhi 18, 24, 27, 74, 82–88, 223, 255 Silburn, L. 103, 159–160, 165 Singh, J. 103, 109, 115, 159, 165, 271n939 Śivā 43, 47, 106, 181, 189–190, 193, 196, 207, 210, 219 Śivānanda 1, 20, 22, 107 ́ Sivasū tra 135 Skanda 26–27, 208, 215–216, 227 Slaje, W. 7, 167 Smara 24, 76 Smārta 6, 27, 32 ṣoḍaśākṣarı ̄ 24–26 Ṣoḍaśı ̄ goddess 70, 88; mantra 34 Soma 75, 142, 187, 191, 206, 236 Somānanda 6, 164 Sound 140, 145, 242; Sound-Energy 140; Sound-Word-Energy 138, 140, 142, 145 Spanda 1, 109 Spandakārikā 8 Speech 135, 139, 141, 242; goddesses of Speech 85–86, 219, 248 Śrı̄ 24–26, 85, 87, 180, 189, 234, 236–237, 244 Śrı̄cakra 7, 19–20, 25, 29, 31–35, 42, 55, 69, 71, 76–84, 86–90, 211, 214, 233–234, 237, 240–242, 244–245, 248–254, 256–258; śrı ̄cakranyāsa 82; s ́rı ̄cakrapūjā 7, 31, 82–83, 88 Śrı̄nivāsabhat ̣t ̣a 6, 9–10 Śrı̄pura 28, 32, 34, 69–71, 76–77, 79, 82, 88–89, 206, 235, 242, 254, 256–257 Śrı̄sū kta 25, 34, 233–234, 257 Śrı̄vidyā mantra 22–27, 31, 33–34, 75, 87, 205, 227, 234; tradition 1, 4, 6, 17, 26, 34–35, 79, 182, 206, 227, 255, 258 śṛṅgāra 45, 75, 236; śṛṅgārarasa 28, 45, 75, 236 sthūla form 29, 89, 154, 237, 242 stotra 23, 53–54 Subject 85, 102, 105–106, 145, 168, 194, 271n939 sūkṣma form 29, 154 Śumbha 208, 220–221 Sumedha Hāritāyana 2, 4–5, 9, 17–18, 143, 180–183, 244 Sun 50n214, 75–78, 97n461, 208, 236–237, 257 Sundareśvara 182 Śū nyaka 62, 228–229, 253 Sū rya 26–27, 33, 75, 77, 190, 227, 236, 248

sus ̣umnā 75, 88, 136 suvāsinı ̄ 33–34; suvāsinıpū ̄ jā 34 svātantrya 115, 120–221; svātantryavāda 115, 127 Tantra 7, 27–28, 30, 81, 182–183, 187, 255 Tantrāloka 8, 103 Tantrarājatantra 75 Tārā 73–75, 236, 244 Tātparyadıpikā ̄ 6, 10 tattva 19, 22, 77–79, 116, 134, 144–145, 194, 206, 210; s ́aktitattva 78–79; tattvadıkṣ ̄ ā 19; tattvaśuddhi 19; tattvatraya 19 tithi 24, 87, 239 Torella, R. 117, 153 Trika 46, 103, 140, 143, 158–159 trimūrti 47, 53, 69, 204, 214, 266n872 Tripurasundarı̄ 1, 6, 9, 18, 20, 22, 24, 29, 42, 55, 71, 80, 82, 84, 86–87, 143, 204, 227, 238, 241; Bālā Tripurasundarı̄ 245–246 Uḍḍı ̄śa 86–87, 227, 242 ugra 26, 59, 63 Umānandanātha 48 unmeṣa 109 upacāra 21, 30, 32, 34, 210, 256–257 U̇rdhvāmnāya 80 Utpaladeva 6, 105, 117, 120–122, 128, 153, 158 Uttarāmnāya 77, 80 vāc 87, 134, 242; parā vāc 134 vaikharı ̄ 84, 134, 136, 139, 242 vairāgya 149, 151, 157, 163, 166 Vāmā 86, 188, 258n842, 262n862 vāmācāra 33, 74 varada-mudrā 42, 45–46, 71, 78, 143 Vārāhı̄ 221, 240–241, 245 varṇa class 5, 184; phoneme 135, 145, 194, 217 vāsanā 165–166 Vasiṣt ̣ha 149, 254 Vāyu 48, 187, 191, 229 Veda 23, 25, 27, 30, 138–139, 189, 191, 197, 217, 234, 254–255 vicāra 156–158 Vidhi 47, 77, 188–189, 191, 193, 198, 225, 238 vidyā 22–27, 54–55, 87, 203–205, 214, 227, 234–235, 242 Vidyānanda 1, 20 Vijñānabhairavatantra 8, 159

304  General Index vikalpa 157 vimarśa 74–75, 80, 88, 103–105, 116, 121, 194, 228, 236 Viṣaṅga 228–229, 245–253 Viśukra 228–229, 245–251 Viśvakarman 48, 69–70, 81, 233, 235, 237–238, 240, 242, 254 Word 18, 134–141, 143–145, 182, 189, 191, 218, 237; Corporeal Word 84, 134, 136, 138; Intermediate Word 84, 134, 136, 138, 218; Supreme Word 134–135, 197, 217; Visionary Word 134–135, 138, 208, 218; Word-Energy 87, 134, 136–140, 142, 144–145

Yama 48, 199, 206, 208 yantra 19, 22, 71–72, 77, 80, 89, 142, 250 yoga 5, 76, 136, 140, 237, 239 Yogarāja 131n592, 152, 158 Yogavāsiṣt ̣ha 7 yogin 121–124, 126, 128, 159 yoginı ̄ 5, 31, 73, 78, 82–85, 89, 239, 241, 245; atirahasya yoginı ̄ 83, 86, 239; guptatara yoginı ̄ 83–84, 239; gupta yoginı ̄ 83–84, 239; kulakaula yoginı ̄ 83, 85; nigarbha yoginı ̄ 83, 85, 239; parāpararahasya yoginı ̄ 83, 239; prakat ̣a yoginı ̄ 83, 239; rahasya yoginı ̄ 83, 85, 239; saṃ pradāya yoginı ̄ 83–84, 239 Yoginı ̄hṛdaya 1